Shadow and Silver
by Itban Fuyu
Summary: Runaway AU. Shadow and Silver are two dragon riders that the hunters are fed up with, so they join forces with the Vikings of the Archipelago to get rid of them. Stoick didn't want to get in the middle of it until he finds out the perfect opportunity to avenge his son's death when he meets Grimmel, the Night Fury killer. (This is a Hiccstrid story)
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Shadow and Silver are two dragon riders that the hunters are fed up with, so they join forces with the Vikings of the Archipelago to get rid of them. Stoick didn't want to get in the middle of it until he finds out the perfect opportunity to avenge his son's death when he meets Grimmel, the Night Fury killer. (This is a Hiccstrid story)**

**So I decided to write another Runaway fic… I have one called "New Beginnings" and I actually didn't really want to write this one because a lot of things were similar to the first one, but then I decided to twist things over and started to have many new ideas (although the beginning still have some similar parts). I'm including things I haven't seen in any Runaway Fic I've read (which doesn't mean there aren't some out there with these things, but I haven't seen them) because I wanted to make this story new and fresh! I hope you'll all like it! **

**BTW, I wanted to post it today in celebration of my dog's second birthday, lol**

* * *

_**Shadow and Silver**_

_**Chapter 1**_

"You and I are going to take a little vacation… forever."

Those were Hiccup's words as soon as he arrived at the cove right after being chosen to kill the Monstrous Nightmare. What started as a joke became a plan by the time Toothless had done eating the basket of fish.

As he flew with Toothless that night, looking at the sleeping village from above, he realized one thing: he couldn't live in a dragon killing place if he'd never kill a dragon.

He thought about telling everyone, maybe he could change people's minds, but deep down he knew those stubborn people wouldn't change their minds about dragons. Not unless something really shocking was to happen and he was pretty certain that training the Monstrous Nightmare instead of fighting it wouldn't be strong enough.

So he decided to run away that night. When everyone was sleeping, he freed the dragons, collected everything he could carry before he mounted Toothless to leave. Hiccup didn't leave his father any notes; he couldn't find the right words. It would be easier if he just vanished… And that was what he did.

Hiccup knew his disappearance would make people go crazy for a while, maybe they'll search for him, but would eventually stop, after all, he's never been that important for the people anyway. Only Gobber and his father would miss him, the rest would most likely be glad that he wasn't there anymore to destroy the village almost as much as the dragons.

Hiccup wanted to know more about dragons, learning everything he could from them by living among them in the wild. It was hard at first, even though Toothless was there to help him in every way, he had to adapt on how to survive without humans around. However, even though he didn't have humans for company, he couldn't say he felt lonely.

He documented his studies on empty journals he had brought from Berk. They were always a little withdrawn at first, sometimes even hostile, afraid of him, but they'd soon warm up to him when he showed he wasn't a threat or when Toothless defended him. Over the months, he discovered tons of new things about each dragon, and even though the same species had similar traces of personalities, each one was a little different from the other, they were all different in some way and it amazed him. The more he got to know about them, the more eager to learn he'd be.

What Hiccup missed the most from living with humans were a proper bed (even though he liked sleeping under Toothless's wing), working on the forge and talking to Gobber. He improvised a forge with dragon's help, but it wasn't the same thing and it was hard to work or craft the new ideas he had for Toothless's saddle and tailfin.

Meanwhile, back on Berk.

Astrid was upset. No, she was mad! How could Hiccup be chosen to kill the Monstrous Nightmare? He had gotten better, but that was no excuse! He was still Hiccup… What he was doing in the arena must have been a trick!

She was walking around the forest, she was sure Hiccup was training close to where she was. He always vanished around this part of the forest. She wanted to find him and figure out what was going on before he was to kill the Nightmare. And since he hadn't shown up so far, he could only be training.

Astrid was about to give up and turn back when she spotted a big hole… No. It wasn't a hole; it was a cove. A beautiful, relaxing and kinda eerie cove. Curious, she decided to go down there, through a narrow rocky trail. She was surprised to find a shield trapped between two rocks. The girl ducked to go past it, not really paying attention why that object was there. She looked around; it was empty.

"Nice place to be, though." She spoke to no one in particular. "Maybe I could just lay here and relax once in a while. Maybe this is the place Hiccup goes when he disappears… But why isn't he here?"

Then, something caught her attention. The girl knelt down and carefully grabbed a small black thing on the floor. She analyzed it for a moment. It took a few seconds to realize it was a scale, a dragon scale. There were more dark spots scattered all over the ground, but she had never seen a dragon so dark before. Her mind tried to go from cover to cover of the Dragon manual she had only read once. She was sure there was no dragon with black scales in there, at least not entirely black and it was weird that every single scale she found turned out to be as dark as the night…

Dark as night… Maybe it could have been a Night Fury?

She continued looking, searching for a clue of what could have been there when she saw a dagger in the water. She retrieved it and her eyes widened. It was Hiccup's dagger, it had his initials there.

Now it was all falling into place. She remembered the boy saying he had hit a Night Fury, the Vikings most fearful dragon. No one knew how it looked like, but if she had to guess, she'd say they have a dark color, since it was so hard to see them at night. Maybe as dark as the scales she's just found.

What if he really did hit the beast? There was a possibility it was recovering and waiting for the right moment to strike at the first victim it could find, which happened to be a small ordinary boy with auburn hair and dazzling green eyes. Could he be so naïve to think he could go up against a Night Fury just because he was placed first in Dragon Training? The beast could only have killed him mercilessly and flew away, leaving behind only a few fallen scales and his dagger. He didn't even had time to defend himself…

Astrid was horrified.

Tears slowly wet her eyes. Sure, Hiccup was not Astrid's favorite person, but she never hated him, she never mocked him or bullied him like the others did. In fact, she didn't like the way they used to do that to the poor clumsy boy. So she just ignored him. And yes, he pissed her off sometimes, but he was a fellow Viking and Berkian in the end. And now, he was gone.

She blamed herself… She could have been there. She was trying to look for him for days, but always gave up… Maybe if she hadn't, she would have find him and helped him… Didn't matter now, did it? Hiccup was dead and nothing of his body was left behind so they could send him to Valhalla.

She pulled herself together and ran back to the village. She had to tell Stoick. As Astrid got closer and closer to the village, her pace began to slow. It was going to be hard to tell the Chief that he lost his heir, but she had to do so.

She couldn't bring herself to say it, so she gave the dagger and a few scales to the Chief. Her shaking hands showed Stoick and Gobber what were her suspicions of what had happened. And her grim expression just proved it even further. Stoick grabbed Astrid's shoulder; there was despair in his eyes.

"_Where_ did you find it?"

Astrid showed them the cove. They stood there, terrified and with no reaction.

Stoick refused to believe it, though. He sent search parties all over the island for days. After two weeks with no clue of the boy, Stoick got to the conclusion that Astrid was right. A night Fury had took Hiccup away… just like a dragon had taken away his beloved wife almost 15 years ago…

And then, for the first time in so many years, Stoick cried. He didn't care, though, for he had lost his son, his only son. Hiccup was dead, and there was nothing he could do about it. He was killed by a black-scaled monster; the offspring of lightning and death itself. There was only one thing left for him to do, which was to hunt down and kill that beast.

* * *

**I know it was a bit short and slow, but this is just the beginning and I hope you liked it! **

**Your review means a lot to the writer, so please consider reviewing! :D **


	2. Chapter 2

**First, I'd like to thank all of you who had reviewed, feedback means the world to a writer! **

**Someone, , asked about the update schedule and I'm going to update at least once a week, but I'll give my best to update two or three times a week, especially if I get a lot of reviews. Expect updates especially on Sundays and Wednesdays!**

**Now, on with the chap!**

* * *

_Shadow and Silver_

_Chapter 02_

It had been six months since Hiccup and Toothless left the island of Berk. Both found a pretty nice deserted island and made a cave their home.

Hiccup was happy among the dragons, they were kinder to him than most Berkians his whole life, though he missed talking to someone. He'd often talk to the dragons – especially Toothless – nonstop, but he didn't hear a reply for all those months. It was a bit lonely not to listen to someone's voice in reply.

Both were flying at night, they loved to spend their time like that before going to sleep. Toothless responded to a movement of the tailfin and shot right up to the skies. They passed through the clouds, getting so high, the moon seemed to be bigger, and so the Night Fury stopped climbing on the air and began soaring above the clouds.

Hiccup took in a deep breath as he opened his arms. The night was freezing cold and they had to prepare for winter, but he couldn't feel anything but freedom.

"It's so peaceful up here, Bud, don't you think?" He petted Toothless's neck. "It's like nothing could get to us."

"Sometimes I wonder what happened in Berk after I left… Do they think I'm dead? Did they look for me? Is Gobber lonely or does he have another apprentice? And… who is filling my role as heir now?" He shrugged. "Not that I want to go back… I miss them but it's not even as much as I though I would… I just wonder…"

Toothless cooed as if he was offering his friend some support. Hiccup mustered a small laugh.

"I know, I shouldn't be worrying about it so much… So, what do you say we make this flight a little bit more fun?"

The Night Fury growled happily. He quickly dove down, gaining an absurd speed. Toothless then opened his wings, breaking the fall, but just slightly, so both could flip to the sides as if they were avoiding imaginary barriers. Playing around, Toothless flipped upside down and then dove in the ocean making a loop, darting back up. The movement made the boy on his back laugh and scream in joy.

They continued flipping around until they were tired and then they headed home to their cozy cave by the foot of the mountain on the island they called Itchy Armpit.

"It's so humid I'm still wet… It'll take a long while for my hair to dry…" He complained as he changed his wet clothes for his dry pajamas. On cue, Toothless lit up the bonfire in the center of their cave. "Thanks, Bud." So he sat by the fire, wishing he had some warm food, but too tired to cook anything.

Toothless lied by his side and Hiccup leaned onto him. He was so tired he fell asleep siting like that, instead of the usual comfortable warm cocoon under Toothless's wing.

* * *

The next day, Hiccup woke up with an irritating cough. It wasn't strong, though, therefore he mostly ignored it as both dragon and rider exited their cave in the morning. The boy was sore; he had to remind himself not to sleep in a position like that ever again. He needed to lie down in a more comfortable position.

During the day, Hiccup and Toothless had to work for their provisions, so they collected grains Hiccup had been planting, he picked up fruits, asking Toothless to catch them with a basket on his mouth and after lunch, they had to go fishing. Hiccup had this weird sensation they were being watched all day and sometimes Toothless would be drawn to noises at the distance, like he would do when he heard dragons chirping or even fighting nearby. So Hiccup paid no mind to it.

In those months away from society, there were times when they'd need human things and when that happened, they'd often just get it from nearby villages – unseen –, for example, the net they used to go fishing. Toothless held the net and both dove into the sea, searching for a bunch that wouldn't be faster than a Night Fury.

They repeated the process a few times until they caught enough to fill barrels of fish. Hiccup closed the last one.

"Well, Bud, I guess that's it for today…" He sighed. "And I'm tired…" He closed his eyes and let a hand run through his wet hair, feeling the beginning of a headache. He coughed again and Toothless cooed near him, concern filled his bright green eyes. "I'm okay, Bud…" He said, but his throat ached from coughing all day. Even breathing was difficult with his stuffed nose, and thus his voice came out more nasally. "I just want to lie down and sleep for a day or two." He laughed, but it became more coughs.

A branch was snapped nearby and Toothless immediately took a defensive instance, growling at the noise's direction. It took longer than normal for Hiccup to understand something was off.

A dagger came flying towards him and he barely had time to duck; he was way slower than usual. In fact, he was feeling awful all day, but had been pushing it to the side and ignoring it until the job was done.

"Who's there?" He yelled despite the pain in his throat.

Out of a sudden, a girl jumped on him and pined him to a tree. The girl was fast, surprising Toothless and then he was right in front of Hiccup and too close from him, so if the dragon shot her, he could hurt his human as well. The girl had an axe against his neck.

He looked at her. Raven dark hair in a side braid and green eyes like his, but he had never seen her before, she didn't seem to be older than him.

"Who are you?" He repeated.

"Set him free." She said angrily.

"What?"

"The dragon. Stop subduing him to do your bidding. Set him free and I'll let you live."

"What?"

A Razorwhip came close, protectively, and Toothless changed his focus to the dragon, analyzing the threat.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't act stupid!"

"Toothless is my friend, I can't just 'let him go'! Besides, he needs me to fly!"

"So you did that, hun? You took his flight away so you could control him. I watched you order him around all day!"

"What? No! He does these things because he wants to! And because I need his help to prepare everything for the winter for _both_ of us!" He slowly touched her hand, finding it strange that she felt so cold. "Just let's talk… I can explain things… and who are you? Are you on the dragons side, too?"

It was impossible, right? He was the only one so far that knew that dragons were peaceful creatures. In all of those months, he had traveled and met many dragons, but he had never seen someone like him, someone who believed dragons were good. Who was this girl after all?

The Razorwhip had a saddle on her, so it was obvious she was with the girl. Toothless roared at both intruders, tired of that crazy girl threatening his best friend. The Razorwhip positioned herself between Toothless and the girl, protecting her. The Night Fury roared even more, getting closer to them, he wasn't willing to let them harm Hiccup.

Cold and strong winds quickly brought dark clouds over their heads.

"He wants to protect you…" She thought out loud.

"Of course! He's my friend."

She put down her axe, but still looked at him with distrust. It was obvious they had some sort of bond.

"Why don't we just… talk a little?" he rubbed his neck, thankfully, the blade didn't tear his skin. He looked up; Thor seemed to be angry, for the clouds were full of thunder. "It looks like it's gonna have a storm. My home is near here, we can rest and wait it out."

"Why would I trust you?"

"You were the one with a blade on my neck. But you seem to be on the dragon's side just like I am. I'm not their enemy. Toothless is my friend and he does what I ask because he wants to. He also protects me, as you noticed yourself. Just like your Razorwhip. So tell me, why are we different?"

The girl gulped. "You have a good point… You're smarter than you look."

"Thanks… You're stronger than you look."

Before she had the time to complain about his comment, he started coughing hard. Toothless immediately jumped to his side, nudging him tenderly.

Her eyes traced him from top to bottom; indeed, he didn't seem like a warrior, she could easily take him down. "Okay, but try anything funny and I'll chop your head off with a swing of this blade."

"Fair enough."

The girl felt slightly bad for doubting him and attacked him all of a sudden, but having dragons mistreated was something that made her blood boil. However, this boy was indeed far from the usual hunters she had crossed paths with. So she followed him to the cave, even though she was still prepared for any surprises and her dragon was also searching for traps.

The entrance was narrow and curvy, but they all managed to squeeze in. The girl wondered if a Monstrous Nightmare would be able to go through, and her conclusion was on the negative. The cave soon opened up to a larger space, broad enough to fit everyone comfortably. The curvy entrance blocked most of the strong wind. There were three paths as if they were rooms and the one they were standing in the living room.

Toothless quickly lit up the fire in the middle of the 'living room' while Hiccup entered in a cave path where he kept his personal belongings, including the dresser he's made and clothes so he could put on dry ones. He left the 'room' as soon as he had new clothes on.

Hiccup took Toothless's saddle and tailfin off. His movements were so slow, his body ached, by now, he was sure he was sick, he just didn't know what illness it was, but he hoped he could sleep it off.

"So... what's your story?" The girl asked, her voice stern, still showing a defensive stance.

"Hi. My name is Hiccup." He said sort of ignoring her question and reminding her there were things to be done first. "This is Toothless. So, who are you two?"

"Hiccup?" Her jaw dropped. He had to admit he expected a little laugh, since it was what usually happened, and he didn't really care for it. "Your name is Hiccup?"

"That's what people has called me my whole life…"

"That's a coincidence… I had a brother with the same name before…" Her voice trailed off and even though he was a bit dizzy, he was alert enough to see it was touchy subject. She sighed. "Well, sorry… My name is Heather. This is my friend Windshear."

* * *

**It's still little slow, I need to show and set a lot of things before the fun begins, but I hope you all liked it! And as I said above, more reviews will motivate me to update even faster than I already intend to, so you know what you gotta do! :D **

**See you on the next chap! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Those who are used to read my stories know I usually like to answer your reviews first, so lets get to them: **

**CajunBear73: You reviewed another one of my stories and your comments are always so well written and poetic! Thanks so much for spending time on them! I really appreciate it! And well, we had some introductions on the last chap and also on this one, too! I hope you'll like it! **

**Mariah: Maybe you're right about that... hehehe **

**Vojtk Blaek: I'm going to continue! And thanks for being so thoughtful, but I'm taking my time, even though I want to post more often (also because I know the hype after the movie is slowly dying down in the fandom...) **

**Hiccstrid: Thanks so much for liking and reviewing my fics! I'll see you on insta! :D **

**Also thanks to the other Guest reviewers, you're all awesome! **

**Now, Enjoy the chap!**

* * *

_Shadow and Silver _

_Chapter 03_

"Nice to meet you Heather." Hiccup sighed heavily, it was hard to breathe and the dizziness only made him feel worse. "So. Answering your question… I came from a dragon-killing village… In fact, what I wanted the most back then was to kill a dragon. Not any dragon, a Night Fury, so I could earn the respect I wanted so much…" He shrugged. "Turns out I hit a Night Fury with a contraption I made myself. I found him wounded in the woods, but then… I couldn't kill him. I set him free, he didn't kill me, we became friends, I made him a prosthetic tail fin and then I left that place because after all, I was friends with the enemy… We came here some months ago, but we've been visiting many different places. So that's my story. As you can see, I'm not the enemy."

"Yeah… if you're telling the truth."

He rolled his eyes and coughed some more. Toothless came closer to help him feel warm and put a wing around him. The worried dragon cooed.

Heather crossed her arms. "I hate to admit it, but you're brave enough to invite me into your home even though you're clearly unwell."

He chuckled. "Please… I've got a Night Fury to look after me." He screeched the dragon under his chin. "And I know you don't want to hurt him. You like dragons. So… aren't you going to tell me about your story?"

The wind blew outside; the storm was getting stronger.

"Mine is quite the opposite of yours… Well, more or less. My mom lived in a place where people hated dragons, too. But once she was out, she found The Defenders of the Wing. I was born there. We help the dragons, we save them from hunters. I just turned fifteen and I have Windshear since I was twelve, so the two of us want to go on missions to rescue dragons… the problem is that my mom doesn't want me to. Not yet, at least, she thinks I'm not ready, but I am. So we're trying to prove ourselves by scouting places we can act. We've never been so far away, actually." She crossed her arms, proudly.

"Wow… that seems like a nice place to live."

"It is. I love our Island."

"I'd like to see this it…" he mumbled, maybe more to himself than her. "A place where humans and dragons can live in peace? That sounds… amazing!"

"Maybe I could show it… If I think you're worthy."

"Fair enough." He coughed even more, and grabbed a canteen nearby to drink from it. He was feeling awful and his eyelids were so heavy it was hard to stay awake. He rubbed his eyes and ran his hand through his still damp hair. For the first time, Heather felt compassion for him and exchanged looks with Windshear.

"You know… you should rest."

"Yeah… I guess so…"

"Don't worry, I promise I won't kill you in your sleep."

"You can try. But an angry Night Fury is not a sight you'd like."

"There's food and water down that path." He pointed to the one closest to where he kept his personal belongings. "Suit yourself if you need anything."

"Thanks… But I'll be sleeping, too." She told him as she watched him lie down near Toothless and the dragon covered him with his wing, protectively. It was a lie, though. She wasn't sleepy at all and once he was in dreamland, she stood up and walked towards them quietly.

She gasped when Toothless eyes shot open.

"You've been pretending, haven't you?" His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You're a smart dragon indeed. But I don't want to hurt him. Not anymore. I just want to check something… Please?"

Toothless growled in response. She knelt down next to him and extended her hand.

"I just want to see if he's okay. If he's a friend to dragons as he claims to be, then he's our friend and you two can be our allies, so I want to help you. And he might have some knowledge of the places we're scouting…"

The Night Fury pondered for a few seconds until he finally opened his wings, hoping the crazy girl could really help his human friend, for Hiccup had never been that bad, even the way he breathed was different, more difficult and painful.

Heather touched him. "I knew it… He's got a fever." Toothless cooed even more worried than before. "Hey, don't look at me like that… I don't really know what to do or what he has, I'm still training to get better at treating people and dragons… But my mom might know. And I also don't have anything here to help him… "

Heather rushed to Windshear and grabbed pen and paper, writing a letter.

_Mom, _

_First, I'm fine! But I found a possible ally and he's sick, in need of help. Please bring some herbs and maybe also food, the options here are pretty limited… _

As soon as the storm stopped, she sent Windshear to find her mother. Now, Heather could only wait for her to come and help.

The next day, Heather tried to help out by making breakfast with what she could find and that was some smoked fish with eggs. Hiccup thanked her when he woke up and he was clearly still unwell. She insisted him to rest for the day, he complained, saying he still had things to prepare for the winter. In the end, he gave in to the black dragon that wouldn't let him move.

Around midday, when Hiccup had fallen asleep again, dragons landed outside and the screech they made let Heather know who it was. The girl left the cave quickly.

"Mom! Finally!" She said, even though she thought it would take longer for her mother to arrive, after all, they were pretty far away.

"I came as fast as I could." She petted the strong and tired Stormcutter. The dragon purred.

"He's quite sick… I don't know what he's got…"

"First..." Her mother caught her arm. "Explain me. How did you meet him and how can we be sure he's not a threat? And why couldn't anyone else help him?"

Heather bit her lower lip.

"Okay, trying to answer everything, he lives alone here. It's just him and the dragons. I was observing him and thought he was like a hunter, but then when I started talking to him, I saw that he's not so bad after all… He has a bond with his dragon. He protects him and vice-versa. He's kinda like us. I know it's weird but it's true. He's like Windshear and I or you and Cloudjumper. He doesn't force his dragon to do anything and the dragon is really worried about him."

"Oh, my darling… Alright then. I'll help him out. Then we'll see if he's really a friend to dragons or if he was just fooling us… Anyway, I can't really turn my back on someone in need, can I?"

"Thanks, mom. I knew you'd understand."

Both entered the cave, Cloudjumper tried to follow them, but a Stormcutter was too big to fit through the narrow path, so he stayed outside.

The woman was surprised to see a black dragon inside; he eyed her suspiciously with slit pupils.

"A Night Fury! He may very well be the last of his kind!"

A low growl was his answer, but Heather came near. "It's okay. She's here to help him."

Toothless growl became a soft worried coo as he opened his wing, revealing Hiccup sleeping. Heather and her mother came closer and the boy woke up.

"What?" His voice was raspy and his throat ached. His mind was still in a haze.

"Hi… My name is Valka. I'm Heather's mother. I'm here to help you. You're sick." He nodded slowly in response. Her name sounded familiar, but he couldn't put his fingers on it. "What do you feel?"

He had to think for a minute. "I'm tired… sore throat, everything hurts… and-" he coughed yet again.

"And a cough." She completed for him and placed a hand on his forehead. "And a fever. It seems to me it's a bad flu." She grabbed a paper on her bag and opened it, then gave it to Heather. "This is a medicine, and in here…" She handed her the bag. "I have the ingredients. Get it started and maybe we could make a soup, too. I'll be joining you in a minute."

"Sure, mom."

She left to the kitchen in the cave and started working. Meanwhile, Hiccup stayed there, still a little dizzy and confused, looking at the woman with a raised eyebrow.

"Why are you helping me?" His tone was suspicious.

Valka smiled a little and looked at the Night Fury. She touched its snout, the dragon's demeanor changed severely when he understood she was there to help him, it was like he could feel her intentions.

"Dragons are amazing creatures. I could never turn my back to one and since this one is so fond of you, I don't believe you're a bad person, so I rushed here when Heather sent for me. Of course, I could be wrong, but… even so, I can't really leave someone in need behind, right?"

"I guess…" he coughed. "Thanks…"

"Besides, I didn't know it when she sent the message, but you're just a boy. As a mother, I could never leave a child in need."

"Thanks, but… I'm not really a child anymore. And I've been living here alone for quite a while."

"But you're still so young, aren't you? How old are you?"

"I'll be seventeen by the end of February."

"Really? You look younger."

"Yeah, I know… I look smaller than the average Viking standard…"

She chuckled and put both hands on his cheeks and then one on his forehead. Her smile was replaced for a concerned face.

"The fever seems high. We need to low your temperature." So she ordered him to lay down to rest and she found a bowl to fill with water and a cloth, she soaked it and then put it on his forehead. "So… You said you live here alone. What about your parents?"

"My mom died in a dragon raid when I was a baby… And my dad probably doesn't miss me that much. I used to be a bit of a problem back on Berk…"

She gulped. "Berk?"

"Yeah… the village I grew up in…" He mumbled already feeling like sleeping again. He was so tired all he wanted to do was drift off to dreamland. "You might think I'd be a dragon killer given the place I was raised, but when I had the chance I just… couldn't… I've always been too… different."

Toothless cooed by his side and slightly nudged him. Hiccup's hand automatically petted the dragon, but only for a little while, since he his whole body ached.

"And who… who is your father?" Her voice failed as she put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"You know Berk? He's… He's Stoick the Vast. I know, I don't really look like him… He's so big and strong…"

Her jaw dropped. "Hiccup?"

"Yes?" His raspy voice made him cough again, but it barely bothered him, just because his eyelids were so heavy. "Did I tell you my name? I don't recall…"

"It was Heather… She told me." She lied; Heather had forgotten to say it before. Valka's eyes were filled with tears. She couldn't believe it. "You should rest. I'll go help Heather with the food…"

He nodded, it wouldn't take him long to fall asleep. Valka stood up and went to the tunnel-room her daughter had gone into moments earlier.

"Mom? Are you okay?" Heather asked as soon as she saw her mother's shocked face. "Is he going to be okay?"

"Yes…" Valka stopped right in front of her daughter and put her hands on her shoulders. "My dear… I know it might be hard to believe, but… he's… You were right in saying he was like us."

"What are you talking about?"

"He's Hiccup."

"Mom… Come on. It's just a coincidence. There must be many Hiccups around the archipelago…"

"Yes, but how many are born in Berk and are the same age? None. I'd have known… But even if it was a coincidence, maybe someone started living in Berk with a Hiccup boy around his age… He said his father is Stoick the Vast."

"Wait, so… he's my… brother?"

Valka nodded.

"Yes… He's my son…" Tears fell from her eyes. "But how can I tell him? What will he say when he finds out I was alive all this time and left him alone all these years?"

"Mom…" Heather hugged her. "We can explain him, right? He'll understand…"

"It's okay." Valka gently pulled her away and pretending to be fine. "We have more important things to do now. He's sick and he needs us."

* * *

**I'm dying to get you all to chap 5, I think that's when the story really starts to get interesting, but these parts are so important to set everything up... I hope you all like the chap! Please review with your opinions and thoughts on what's gonna happen next! :D **


	4. Chapter 4

**Yeah, so they're siblings in this universe! I really liked the possibility of Heather being Hiccup's brother raised in the series, but she turned out Daggur's... I understand they didn't want to change that because it could mess up the time line of the movies, but it would be so nice! And I always thought both were really alike: similar eye color, both are the few characters that wear long sleeves and both are really smart (plus, that axe of hers seems like something Hiccup would come up with).**

**Thanks everyone who read and reviewed so far! Now for the replies: **

**CB73: Yeah, that's who she is! hehehe. I've always wanted to play with the idea since the show hinted it, so I did it here! And, wow, you always amaze me wth your poetic reviews! Thanks so much! And for your question, what I'm waiting for? Well, I need to edit the chaps and it'd be great to get some more reviews in the meantime... hehehe **

**Silvede: Yeah, right? It's something rare to see, so I thought it'd be an interesting and different twist on the story. I hope you'll like it, but I can't tell you spoilers... **

**Hiccstrid: Thank you so much! I'm really happy you liked this little twist! And for the answers of your questions, well, I if told you, I'd spoil this chap, so I guess it'd be better for you to read it instead... Anyway, thanks so much and I'm rreally trying to make it very different from my first AU story, so it means a lot to have someone saying it really is different! :D **

**HTTYDfang1rl: Thanks for making me laugh with that long "moooooore"! :D**

**Also thanks to the guest reviewers, and congratulations for guessing it right!**

**Now, enjoy the chap! **

* * *

_Shadow and Silver _

_Chapter 4_

A week has passed and now Hiccup was feeling completely healed. And as he exited the cave in the morning, he found Valka and Heather taking care of his little plantation.

"Good morning." He greeted them. Toothless followed him. "You guys really didn't need to help me that much, you know. I told you last night I was feeling better."

"It's okay, dear." Valka said as she stood up. "Besides, we all need to eat, anyway." She walked towards him. "Are you sure you're feeling better?"

"Yes. Thank you so much for your help." He looked at Heather. "Both of you." Now his focus shifted to the woman in front of him. "And you two even helped me get more fish for Toothless when I couldn't. How could I ever repay you?"

In the back of Hiccup's mind, something told him to be careful, after all, he didn't really know these two. But at the same time, they've been so helpful and kind towards him and Toothless that it was hard not to like them; besides, if they wanted to do something against him, they'd have done that already. He knew he needed to keep an eye on them, though, just in case.

"We don't want anything, dear. I'm just happy to see you're healthy again." She embraced him. Her eyes found her daughter's and Heather was sending her a meaningful look: she should tell him at once.

"Thanks. It's rare to find someone willing to help strangers… But maybe now we can be allies, right?" Hiccup pulled away to look at Valka. Toothless cooed by their side and nudged them. "Yeah, I want to go flying, too, but you know I can only go if my nurse allows me to." He joked.

"Well, if you're feeling completely healed, then why not?" The dragon then started jumping in happiness. He's been grounded since Hiccup got sick. "And well, maybe tomorrow we can show you the island where we live. What do you think?"

Hiccup smiled and kept trying to calm Toothless down. "I'd love that!"

"Well, then, off you go. This Night Fury needs to stretch his wings."

"Yes, Ma'am." He nodded and then ran inside the cave. "Come Toothless, let's saddle up!"

"Mom!" Heather stopped by her side, hands on her hips. He wouldn't be able to hear them once he was inside the cave, putting the saddle on Toothless. "He needs to know!"

"I know, dear…" She sighed. "I just want to show where he can find me again if he runs away after I tell him…"

* * *

At the end of the next day's afternoon, they arrived at the island of the Defenders of the Wing.

Valka left Cloudjumper's back and Hiccup couldn't help but admire how that woman could ride a dragon all the way by standing on him and not sitting. A blonde woman approached them and Valka hugged her.

"Where have you been? We were worried. You left saying your daughter needed help and you two don't show up for a week." She crossed her arms.

"I'm sorry, we've been a bit busy… And we found a friend." Valka gestured to the boy and his Night Fury. The blonde woman's expression turned to an irritated one as she looked back at Valka.

"I've told you not to bring anyone on my island without my consent."

"I know, but don't worry. He's like me in many ways. More than I had imagined…"

"What do you mean?" She asked, but Valka gestured him to come closer and he did so.

"This is Mala, Queen of the Defenders of the Wing." Valka introduced her.

"It's a pleasure to meet, you, Queen Mala." He extended his hand, but she didn't shake it. He then put his hand down, awkwardly. "I'm Hiccup… Hiccup Haddock."

"Haddock…" Mala looked at Valka, but the brunette discreetly put a finger over her mouth, asking her not to say a word.

"This place is amazing!" He looked around, dragons in peace with the humans in every corner of the village. "I thought I'd never see anything like that!" His smiled got bigger until he realized something. The dragons on the skies were all by themselves. "Wait, why no one else rides them?"

"You're a good observer." Mala noticed. "We respect the dragons, we don't use or ride them. Unless it's absolutely necessary, of course."

"Except for Heather and I. And although we came from somewhere else, we respect this rule here and we don't ride them unless it's to leave or arrive at the island." Valka explained him.

"It's still amazing. Since I befriended Toothless, I had dreamed of a place where Vikings and Dragons could live together in harmony."

"If only Vikings could see the truth…" Heather shrugged.

"Hey, it's not their fault… The dragons do raid them and they need to defend their food, too… And I don't get it why dragons do that. I've lived with them for months and they can help out a lot and can get enough food to feed themselves…"

"That's because they don't get it for themselves." Heather said.

"What do you mean?" He raised an eyebrow.

"You know the nest, right?" Valka asked.

"Yeah, my dad has been obsessed to find it for forever… Why?"

"There's something in there… It's like a dragon, but this one is mean. It's the Queen of the dragons and she eats them unless they bring her enough food. That's why they raid the Vikings." She told him. "I found out when Cloudjumper and I were flying a bit too close to Dragon Island and he was pulled towards it…"

"What? But... We need to do something! We need to help the dragons!"

"Oh, my dear… I thought like that, too; but there's nothing we can do. She's too powerful. It was a miracle Cloudjumper and I escaped with our lives and she almost escaped the mountain she was trapped in. I don't even wish to imagine what it'd be like if she escaped…"

"The destruction would be horrific, to any place that she can go to. We must prevent it at all costs." Mala said and then turned to Valka. "May I have a word with you for a moment, my friend?"

"Sure." She glanced at Hiccup. "I'll be back shortly." And then she left after the Queen.

Hiccup looked at Toothless and crossed his arms. "So you knew about that and you didn't tell me, hun…" The dragon growled and rolled his eyes playfully. "Maybe if we got rid of the Red Death, Vikings and dragons could start living in piece, don't you think?"

Heather smiled, even though he wasn't talking to her, she answered. "I think they might be a bit stubborn, but I hope for that, too… Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do…"

"Or maybe we just need to find the right way to tackle the situation…" He mumbled more to himself than to her as he stroked an invisible beard.

* * *

Later that day, Valka was showing Hiccup the other side of the island. As they walked through the forest, their dragons were following them. She gulped, knowing she had delayed an important topic for a long while now.

"So… Hiccup…" She started, but it was hard to make the words come out. "What would you do if your mother was alive all this time?"

He shrugged. "I never thought of it. I mean, she's dead, anyway…"

"Do you know what happened to her?"

"Dad said she was taken by dragons on a raid when I was a baby."

"But now you know dragons aren't mindless beasts. What if she befriended one of them?"

"I thought of that possibility once… I just don't really believe it. I mean, wouldn't she have come back? And I could only survive because Toothless helped me from day one. If it took a while for her to befriend one, wouldn't it be unlikely that she'd have survived?"

"Maybe she couldn't come back for a reason… maybe she befriended one quite quickly… And maybe she was a good survivalist…"

He stooped walking and eyes her suspiciously. "What are you really talking about?"

She took in a heavy breath. "Hiccup… I was from Berk, too. I was taken by a dragon on a raid, 15 years ago."

"Wait… Are you telling me that you're…" His voice vanished.

"Yes… I was married to Stoick, the Vast, and therefore, I am you mother."

Hiccup's heart started to race desperately and Toothless sensed his distress, and came closer.

"What… but… how…?" He stepped back.

"I can explain… Please…"

Toothless nudged Hiccup, showing the boy some support. Hiccup petted him while clearing his head. After a moment, he gulped and had a determined expression. He only said one word. "Why?"

"I know that anything can excuse what I did… I've always believed dragons were good creatures, of course it wasn't a popular opinion, but I was a good fighter and the chief's wife, so they respected me, even if they didn't like my ideas. One night, I saw a dragon break into our home and finding you in the cradle. Instead of it harming you, he played with you, proving what I believed… But then your father rushed in. The dragons was startled and trying to save me from the fire, he took me away… Yet, because I hesitated, you almost got killed, and Stick could have gotten hurt, too. That guilt haunted me... And then deep down I realized that Berk was not the place for me, even though I didn't want to admit it…"

"What about the dragon?" He guessed who it was, but needed to be sure. She looked at Cloudjumper.

"He never meant to harm me… However, it took me a few days to befriend him. When I managed to ride him, I tried to go back to Berk. My plan was to show everyone that a dragon was not that bad if he didn't hurt me and brought me home. I tried that twice, during the night, and then during the day. But the results were the same: when the Vikings spotted Cloudjumper; they attacked him before they could even see me. And then I found out about the Queen of dragons… Red Death was a suiting name for her, by the way."

"And… why didn't you make Cloudjumper land in the forest so you could come to the village?"

"I thought about that. I even tried it once, at night… I was almost spotted and we escaped in the last minute. Later, I was too afraid to do it again. What if someone found Cloudjumper? Or what if they believed I was crazy and sent a search party to kill him? How could I endanger his life like that?" She asked and Hiccup exchanged looks with Toothless. That part he could understand. "It'd been only a few weeks then, but he and I already had a bond and I couldn't threaten his life. How could I put someone's life on the line like that? Would you?"

He sighed as he shook his head.

"So I started living in another island, like you. But I still tried to make contact with people from Berk. I tried getting near to the ships, but again, I couldn't get near enough… Well, some saw that there was someone in his back, but I guess no one believed them when they returned to shore… I was determined to find a way back, though. Eventually, I found this place. The Defenders of the Wing first thought I was an enemy, but they didn't harm me, because I was pregnant, which was another reason that made me want to go back so badly."

"Wait… who's Heather's-"

"Stoick." She answered before he could even finish the question. "I could never love another man." A stubborn smile crossed her lips. "Anyway, Mala and I became good friends and they helped me through my pregnancy, which was quite difficult, since the beginning was such a roller coaster of emotions… I almost lost her a few times, actually. So when she was born and yet another attempt to go back failed… I gave up and by then, I had a life being built here. I found my purpose: to save dragons from hunters and trappers."

Valka stepped further, tears in her eyes as much as Hiccup's. She cupped his cheeks so he would look at her.

"Not a day passed by that I had not thought of you or your father. I've always wondered how you'd have grown. What your voice would sound like…" She chuckled. "I've always imagined you'd take more after your father, how wrong was I… I'm so sorry, Hiccup… I wish I'd been there for you…" She gulped. "Can… Can you forgive me?"

Hiccup wanted to say yes, but he didn't know if he could. He was upset at her for not coming back. If she really wanted, she'd have found a way to do so, and as she had said herself, she felt that Berk is not a place for her from the beginning. However, could he really blame her? He had done the same. He abandoned his father without even leaving a letter because he couldn't find the words to leave behind and because he was afraid of what Stoick would think of him even if Hiccup weren't there anymore.

"I do understand why you did all this… Heck, I did a very similar thing, I just… I didn't want to be alone all these years… I'm a small Viking, I was different and clumsy; I used to cause trouble, almost as much as the dragons during raids… I was bullied and cast out for so long and it'd have been easier having someone with me…"

"I'm so sorry, Hiccup. I know I should have been there for you… Can we start over? I want to be there for you from now on. We can be a family."

"I… I don't know… I'm sorry… I think I need to go flying a little to clear my head…"

"Sure. I understand. You know where to find me."

He mounted Toothless, but before they took off, he asked. "Does Heather know?"

"Yes."

He nodded and then told Toothless to go up.

They've flown for a few hours until they found a small deserted island not far from the Defenders of The Wing.

It didn't take long until a Razorwhip appear. A girl dismounted and shyly came closer to him.

"Mom told me what you recently talked about… Are you mad at us?"

"You definitely didn't have any fault, so you're off the hook…" he chuckled at the little joke, but she didn't even smile. He was serious again. "It's not like I'm mad at her, I sort of get her, I just… I don't know… It's all so… confusing…" He pulled his knees close to his chest and embraced his legs.

Heather sat down a few inches from him. "And what do you want to do now?"

"Right now, I just want to find a way to free the dragons that are controlled by the Red Death."

"Hiccup… We told you it's not possible."

"Well, I don't believe that. And I'm going to do something about it."

"Then, what?"

"I don't know yet… Well, for now, I'll just head back home to Itchy Armpit."

"Don't you want to live here with us?"

"I'm not sure… Anyway, I've got stuff there and books I need to check."

"Just promise me you'll be here tomorrow. Okay?"

He sighed with a small smile on his lips. "Okay, Sis." He added the last part playfully and she did the same.

"Then I'll be waiting for you, Bro."

He then mounted Toothless and the Night Fury took off. Hiccup wanted to find his first journal about his discoveries of Toothless and then other dragons, he was sure there were some kind of fire weakness all dragons he knew shared, he just couldn't remember exactly how he found out about, but if he did, he knew he could find a way to bring the Red Death down.

* * *

**If you liked what you read, please consider reviewing. It makes my day to see your comments and opinions on this story! And what do you think is gonna happen next? **

**BTW, I always thought that Valka was forgiven way too fast in the movie (but it's understandable since they didn't have a lot of time), so in here, I tried to make it a bit more "realistic", by making him question if he wanted to forgive his mom or not. However, he does understand Valka in a deeper level than in the movie universe because he ended up doing the same. Anyway, one of the things I admire the most on Hiccup is his forgiving soul, that's the kind of character he is. **

**See you next chap! :D **


	5. Chapter 5

**Finally, chap 5 is here! I hope you'll like it! :D**

**But first, answering reviews: **

**Silvolde: Oops, sorry for the typo! I guess I was in a rush to publish it, hehehe. Indeed he kinda does have ****an idea (and not only about the not-fireproof on the inside, but also to use its size against her), but last chap his head as still a mess from finding out his long lost mother, so he needed to clear his head and relax a bit so he could actually think properly. And the thing is, I don't believe that in the movie he knew exactly what he needed to do, I think he improvised a bit using the knowledge he had... Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy the chap! **

**CB73: Wonderful review as always, thank you so much! And yeah, I guess Valka could have done it, but I didnt think of it, therefore, she didn't wither... and then she just gave up trying to go back... (and let's face it, she did it in the movies, too, in fact, I'm not sure if she even tried to go back in the movie universe... which I think she should have and I think we needed more explanations on the movies, but, well, I like it anyway lol) **

**And thanks to the Guest reviewers, too! **

* * *

_Shadow and Silver_

_Chapter 5_

Hiccup had promised to be there the following day, yet, he wasn't. Valka's heart felt as heavy as a rock and she couldn't stop searching the skies for a little black dragon. Cloudjumper was by her side, doing the same; both had been at the shores since dawn.

Heather and Windshear came closer to them. "Mom, relax. He's probably just sleeping in late. Or maybe he wanted to do something before he came here. Or maybe he's coming later. But he promised me he would come. I don't think he's the kind of person to not stick to his promises."

"Do you think he could have gone to Dragon Island all by himself?" Valka asked.

"You worry too much, mom…" She started but then remembered how much he wanted to free the dragons. "Well… he really did say he wanted to go there… But he wouldn't go alone, would he? And he'd tell us, right?"

"I don't know… But what if he had gone there?"

"Well, then, there's only one way to find out, right?"

"Indeed…" Valka bit her lower lip. "Just to be on the safe side, let's take our medical kits…"

Both mother and daughter flew their dragons as fast as they could to Itchy Armpit. When they arrived, they headed to his cave, finding nothing but scattered opened books inside.

Heather knelt down near the books and picked them up. They were about his discoveries of dragons during the months he's lived with them.

"Okay, I don't think he would go there, but do you think we should check Dragon Island?"

"Yes… Maybe we should… But let's leave him a note here. Just in case we're mistaken and he'll come back before we do." Valka grabbed a piece of paper and charcoal to leave a note. As soon as she was done, both left the cave and mounted their dragons to find Hiccup.

As they got closer to Dragon Island, Valka started to get even more nervous, and her dreadful intuitions were right once they saw dragons fleeing the nest and a small black dot rising to the skies being followed by a gigantic creature.

"Oh, Gods… She's free…" Valka stated, mouth agape.

Windshear and Cloudjumper hovered near the sea stacks around the island. Heather widened her eyes and shivered in fear. "Where are Hiccup and Toothless?"

Valka pointed at the clouds where the monster had disappeared. "I think they're up there…"

Something bright blinked inside the dark clouds. It seemed like lightening, but both knew it was a Night Fury's blast. Both girls wanted to help and do something, but they couldn't think of anything to do as they stared awestruck at the 'lightening' show inside the clouds.

Then something changed. A black dot fell straight to the ground. No, it was falling; it was flying down. Maybe he had a plan after all; maybe he could use its side against the Queen.

The Red Death opened its mouth ready to swallow dragon and rider as soon as it got close enough. The Queen started preparing to fire, but then Toothless shot inside its mouth. Something happened with the gigantic creature, it was as if it was exploding inside, and as it got closer to the ground, it tried to escape to hit, but couldn't, and then it exploded.

Fire rose and blinded both mother and daughter for a moment and then, all that was left was falling ashes and a horrible burnt smell.

"Hiccup! Toothless!" Both yelled as they searched frantically over the island. "Where are you?"

Toothless was found lying down in the middle of the shore. Hiccup was nowhere to be found until the dragon lifted its heavy and aching wing to reveal the hidden unconscious boy.

"He's alive!" Valka said as soon as she heard a heartbeat. Tears of joy streamed down her face. "You saved him!" She touched the dragon's face. "Thank you, Toothless."

"Mom… His leg…"

Valka nodded and her expression became serious. Half of his leg below the knee was bent in a terrible angle.

"It will have to come off…"

"What? But…"

"I know what you're thinking… But it will take too long to heal otherwise. It might not even heal properly and if it gets infected, we'll have to take it out anyway. There's nothing more we can do. I know it, because I've seen wounds like that. So we need to work fast, while he's still unconscious."

She sighed heavily. "Okay, what do you need?"

"Leave your bag with all the medical stuff we brought, then you and Windshear need to find me clean water. There must be some in this island. And bring some sticks for a fire; I'll need to sterilize my sword."

"Right." She obeyed and quickly mounted Windshear.

Valka started preparing for it and then looked at Toothless, too tired to move. "Don't worry, Cloudjumper will carry you off this island." And then her attention shifted to Cloudjumper.

"Old friend, you'll have to help me hold him down when the time comes…" She then brushed the hair away from her boy's face. "We'll live this horrible place as soon as we can.

* * *

_Five Years Later… _

Hiccup and Toothless landed on an island after flying for so long, the dragon's wing were already tired. They had been practicing new maneuvers for hours. Hiccup took his pencil and sketchbook from a saddle compartment and sat down looking at the sea. Toothless lied down by his side.

The wind was blowing and Hiccup opened his sketchbook on a blank page to start drawing. He spent a long time in there and was so concentrated on his activity that he barely noticed a dragon landing nearby.

Toothless jumped in excitement and greeted Windshear as soon as Heather dismounted.

"So, there you are, bro!"

He lifted his head. "Oh, you found me, sis! You know, it's kinda hard to find a secluded place to be for a while if you keep finding me." He joked; Heather rolled her eyes.

"Ouch, that hurts…" She put her hands on her chest in a dramatic way. "It's your own fault. You're too predictable."

"What? We were flying randomly."

She sat down by her side and started to list her motives on her fingers. "You said you really liked this new place; you weren't on the two islands you like to spend time on; and you do like to wander off to the new places when you go flying. So, unless you had found a new island, you'd be here."

"Yeah… I guess you're right…" He sighed.

"You're pouting big baby boo?" She imitated his voice from one time she had heard him saying the same to Toothless. He glared at her and Heather chuckled. "Don't be like that, you know I'm just joking. And I knew where to find you because I know you." She shrugged. "So don't worry. Anyway, how is your map?"

"Haven't really found a new island in a while, so it's the same as you have seen it."

"I see… It's strange how even though we've found some many new places, we still couldn't find the hunter's headquarters…" Heather took a few strands of hair away from her face; it was up in a half ponytail in which the sides of her hair met on the back in two rope braids.

"We'll find it…"

"So, what's my favorite suicidal crazy brother doing out here?"

"For the last time, that was supposed to be just a recon mission!" He threw his arms up in an exaggerated playful way. "It's not my fault if the Red Death escaped that volcano."

"Yeah, I know, you've said it a thousand times already, but it's just so fun to mess with you." She laughed. "Anyway, what are you drawing?"

He smiled at how she leaned in to look at his sketchbook; Heather always liked to see his drawings. Hiccup handed her the book.

He was finishing the details of a beautiful woman around their age; with bangs falling over an eye and the rest of the hair was in a braid behind her back, with the exception of a few long strands framing her face. She was wearing nice warrior clothes and a leather skirt with little bird skulls on it. There was wearing a fur cloak on her and had a double-headed axe in her hand. She was looking up with a determined expression.

"Wow, she's pretty! Who is she?"

"A Valkyrie."

"A Valkyrie that appears in your dreams? I mean, that'd make sense in why you only draw her and do it so carefully…" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Okay, fine, she's Astrid… A girl from Berk. She's pretty, so she'd be a good model for a Valkyrie… and other drawings…" He rubbed the back of his head.

"And do you like her?"

"I don't know…" He admitted. "I certainly had a huge crush on her when I lived there, but… She's a dragon killer. And she never really liked me anyway… The thing is, I never really knew her… Besides, it's not as if I'll ever see her again."

"Hiccup, she's not dead, well, probably not; she's just a few hours of flight away."

"Yeah, yeah… still, it's not like it'd work. You know, we save dragons, she kills them…" He supported his weigh on his hands, leaning back a little.

"I know… If only Vikings could see they're not bad! It's been five years since you and Toothless killed the Red Death and they're still hurting dragons even though they don't even raid the villages anymore…"

"People can't change, after all…" He glanced at the two dragons playing behind them.

"Yes, but you don't believe in it. You've changed." Heather's tone was soft, yet serious. "Anyway… Could you tell me something more about dad?"

"What else can I tell you? We weren't really that close…"

"I know, but I wanted to know more about him… And mom barely said anything about you two my whole life… Tell me something fun."

"Okay… well… Let me see… there was this time he took me fishing and he's so traditional that all he wanted was to fish… but then I went looking for trolls!"

"You didn't!" She laughed.

"I did. And for hours. He lost me, actually… When I came back home, he was so furious his face was red and he yelled at me for hours. I think I fell asleep while he was at it, because the next thing I remember was waking up the next day in my bed…" Both laughed at it.

"This would have been so funny to see!"

"You say that now, but for an eight-year-old, that was a terrifying sight… I don't know how I managed to sleep; I must have been exhausted… I've never seen someone so scary, not even the hunters have ever been so scary to look at."

"Oh! By the way, speaking of which, I've just remembered that a ship was spotted near the straits."

"What? And you only say it now?" He grabbed his book and shut it close, already standing up. He gestured for Toothless to come closer and the dragon complied happily.

"Relax, Hiccup. We've got plenty of time to suit up. Those ships are so slow we could even take a nap before we go." She chuckled. "Besides, we work better at night, don't we, _Shadow_?"

"Geez, you really like the names they call us, don't you?" He put away his pencil and sketchbook.

"What can I say, it's perfect. Shadow and Silver, the riders of the Night Fury and the Razorwhip! Not very creative, but stylish and catchy. They have a nice taste, I'll give them that."

"Alright, _Silver_… Let's go before we lose them."

* * *

**So another chap comes to an end! I really wanted to get to this one because it's now that things start moving! And now you know the reason behind the title! **

**I guess the first part of the chapter was a bit rushed, but no need for details of a scene from the movie everyone in here saw, right? So I just put the basics for understanding and then get to the point before the chap got way too long… **

**I also wanted to establish Hiccup and Heather's relationship, which (as you can see) is similar to the one they have in the series mixed with Hiccstrid (minus the romance). At this point, Heather is the closest human to Hiccup. Even though he forgave his mother, it was still easier and more natural to get closer to his sister than to Valka.**

**So, if you liked what you read, please leave a review down below! It means a lot to me and it makes my day to see your comments! :D **


	6. Chapter 6

**Just to make it clear! the time frame of the fic from now on is around the same time of third movie, so Hiccup is 21 (Heather is 20) and the characters look basically the way they look in HTTYD3. For Heather, though, since she's not in the movie, I played with her looks, I wanted her to look a bit closer to Hiccup to show her connection with him, so her clothes are kinda like a female version of Hiccup's outfit on HTTYD3 mixed with her clothes on RTTE and her hair I decided on something kinda like Astrid's but the braids in the opposite way, I have drawings of it in my instagram (author . marilia), maybe I'll post it on DeviantArt too, but only if people ask for it. **

**Now for the answers of the reviews: **

**CB73: Yeah, that was totally like Hiccup... lol. Yeah, both are longing for something and both are kinda very alike. And thanks for your comment! :D **

**Silvolde: I had no idea it meant Silver Forest, that's nice! And interesting that it's kinda similar with "silver", right? So maybe te words in both languages have the same origin? And about your predictions, I can only say, wait a bit, but I won't say spoilers... **

**JChttyd: Thanks so much! I'm glad you like this fic (and I really like this kind of 'what if', too)! And I understand, sometimes I come in and out of the fandom because HTTYD is just soon good! I still hope we'll get at least one more short, because there's so many more things that we needed to know, like what happened to the rest of the gang and all... Truth to be told, I really wanted Heather to have been Hiccup's sister in the show, it'd have been really nice, despite the plot holes (though they could try to fix it somehow) and don't worry, it will all develop! **

**NathallyQS: I love them, too! These 'what ifs' ideas are so ****interesting! **

**Leo200ish: Thanks! And here is the new chap! Enjoy it! **

**Hiyuujin: The wait is over! :D **

**Thanks everyone for reviewing and now enjoy the chap! :D **

* * *

_Shadow and Silver _

_Chapter 06_

Back on Berk, after Hiccup's supposed death, people searched for him for weeks until they finally gave up and so life continued normally for most people. Hiccup's death was nothing but another one in the land of kill or be killed. That wasn't true especially for Gobber and Stoick.

The blacksmith had to get another apprentice, Gustav was the boy who filled the role, even though he didn't like it or didn't put an inch of Hiccup's effort in the job, or an inch of the details he used to bring in every piece he had made.

Next to Gobber, Stoick was the one who took the boy's loss the hardest. The first few weeks, the chief was left alone to grief, but once he was out of it, he appears as if he had returned to normal, but that was just a façade, for if someone mentioned the boy, he'd go crazy and yell at everyone and sometimes, if he was reminded of his son, he'd be in a bad mood the entire day. The only thing that kept him going was the will to kill the black dragon that took away his son.

Some months after Hiccup's death, the dragons had stopped raiding. Sometimes, they'd get the easy food from them, but they were always in smaller groups and it wasn't with the intensity and despair the dragons used to have. No one knew the reason why the dragons stopped doing it, but the Vikings were still ready and waiting for them to continue raiding even after five years.

During the five years that passed by, Stoick needed a new heir and the thought of that hurt him every day, so he postponed until the council demanded him it was time. He refused to marry a younger woman to produce an heir, so he had to choose someone that could fulfill the role and that would be around his son's age.

Stoick's first thought was Snotlout. He was the epitome of a Viking, courageous, a good fighter and people respected him. However, the chief soon saw that Snotlout didn't have what it took to be a leader, so he observed the other young adults of Berk and then he was settled with two options. The two possible heirs wanted the position and Stoick made some tests with them, but he still couldn't decide.

An invitation of a meeting at the Meathead Island arrived and so he took the two possible heirs and some Vikings along. The trip would take two days, and at the end of the second day, he faced the two young adults. The wind was pushing the ship forward quite fast. As Stoick looked at the sea ahead, the two adults followed him under his orders. The chief sighed before he faced the two.

"Astrid, Fishlegs. I believe both of you two know by now that everything is a test for you and this meeting is not different. I need to choose one of you and prepare the chosen one to be the next chief of Berk by the end of the winter. And it is not an easy task…" His hands met at his back. "Both showed good skills to be a chief. Astrid, you're strong, resourceful and the best fighter on Berk. People wouldn't hesitate to follow you in battle and that is very important." He turned from her to him. "On the other hand, Fishlegs might not exceed in fighting, but your management skills are unparalleled; you not only know when and where to plan everything, which will come in handy to feed the village in the winter, but you're good to deal with people and can grow to be as respected as I am now."

"Yes, sir… We are aware of that." Astrid said as respectful as she could.

"Yes, Astrid, and as I was about to say, your management skills are not as good as his and you're also inpatient, which can lead to future problems." Stoick crossed his arms. "I am telling all this to you two so you can keep in mind your strengths and weaknesses in mind from now on, because I'm testing you two all the time, especially in this trip."

"I admire what you're doing, sir, but wouldn't it be best to just choose one of us and start training? I mean; if it was an ordinary case, you wouldn't have so long to choose." She said.

"I know, Astrid. But unlike you two, a regular heir would have seen many leading problems I'd have faced and would have been receiving guidance to rule from a young age; besides, he grew up with the pressure of being chief and I would have been training him for years now…" His voice trailed off, the last part referring to his own son. "Anyway, since we don't have all this time, I have to choose who'd be the best one to rule immediately. Of course, that would be much simpler if you two agreed to an alliance."

Fishlegs cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, sir, but we made it clear that marriage is not an option for us." He looked at her and Astrid mirrored the grimace on his face.

"Very well, then. I must choose one of you. But I want you two to promise that whoever gets to lead Berk will listen to the other one when in need of counseling. After all, both of you have shown great abilities and intelligence that could help the other."

"Yes, sir." Both replied together.

Stoick was satisfied and a few hours later, they arrived at the Meathead's Island.

Many ships ported there that day as well and many chiefs or the archipelago gathered at the Great Hall. They shared a huge table and then Mogadon, the Meathead leader, started.

"Thank you all for accepting my invitation! I brought you here today because I have an opportunity to present you!"

Murmurs started and soon got too noisy for Mogadon to continue, but even before the host chief could say anything, Stoick's booming voice echoed in the Great Hall demanding people to shut up and listen. They all did so, not because they were scared, but because they all respected him.

Mogadon continued. "Recently, someone came to my island with an offer and I accepted it. Since it went well, I decided to ask all of you to do the same." Also, he he'd earn some coins from each tribe that joined in. "You probably heard about Dragon Hunters."

"Dragon Hunters?" Someone interrupted "We are the dragon hunters! We have to kill them or we will be killed!"

"I know them." Said Dagur, the chief of the Berserker Island. "They don't really kill, the beasts, they capture them… Soooo annoying…" He rolled his eyes.

Astrid laughed. "That's just stupid. Why would they capture dragons like that? We only take enough to train the young ones and that's it."

"Indeed, young girl." Mogadon continued. "But just let me finish. They make those dragons work for them. The dragons are their slaves."

"That can't be true. Dragons are worthless beasts!" Someone yelled at the same time anther chief exclaimed. "We don't need them as slave, let's just kill them all!" More people complained until Mogadon yelled at them so he could continue.

"I know and I understand your opinion, but they can be really profitable for us!" The Meathead leader said. "They took seven dragons from us last time in his ship and soon we're gonna get our payment!"

"Excuse me, but how could they fit seven dragons in a ship? Our regular size ships couldn't take a shipment like that. I mean, unless they were Terrible Terrors and maybe Gronkles…" Fishlegs pointed out.

"Good question." Mogadon said. Astrid's jaw dropped at the compliment for her 'rival'; she couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. The chief continued. "Their ships are enormous. Bigger than many of ours put together. They can take over 20 large sized dragons on each ship! If we ally with them, we can learn how to build ships that big, too!"

"And what was the deal, exactly?" Stoick asked.

"The deal we made was to hand them dragons and then they'll pay us in weapons and gold. They take the dragons to faraway islands and they make the dragons do the mining, so they need more. They want to get rid of the dragon scourge as mush as we do and we all can achieve it if we've got enough wealth and weapons."

More murmurs started between the Vikings. The possibility of getting gold was great and all of them wanted to be the wealthiest chief of the wealthiest tribe of the Archipelago.

"We would have gotten our payment this week… If it weren't for Shadow and Silver…"

"What?" "Who are they?" "What is that?" Many asked as once.

"They are dragon lovers. The most active ones, but there are more of them. They rescue the dragons and they rob the fleets of dragon hunters, but Krogan, my contact with the hunters, said that they have a plan to get rid of them, they're just searching for a few details…" Astrid wondered for a moment, wouldn't it be great if they could infiltrate on the enemy's side and get inside information? Mogadon sighed. "Krogan is coming this week for more shipment of dragons and if you write your name and island on the list, I'll tell him you all have shipments ready, too."

Dagur jumped from his chair, ready to sign and ready to leave immediately to capture dragons, he was determined to deliver the biggest shipment of all. Stoick thought of that for a moment, at last, he decided to join as well. He couldn't be the only one not to join in; the other tribes would be in advantage over him if he didn't sign his tribe's name too. However, he wouldn't deliver anything until he talked to this Krogan.

* * *

After sailing for two days, they finally arrived on Berk again. As they ported at he harbor, they found Trader Johan telling his usual stories to the Berkians nearby.

"Master Stoick! I though I wouldn't get the pleasure to meet you! I'll be living shortly, but would you like something from my humble boat?"

"Thanks, Johan, but I think I'll pass this time. We have a lot to do because we need to capture some dragons."

"Oh, I see, so you joined Mogadon, right? I've heard about his deal with the dragon hunters."

"Not only us." Astrid said. "All the other tribes are joining in as well."

"I just hope we'll get our payment soon and that it doesn't fall on the hands of the hunters enemies…" Fishlegs shrugged.

"The 'dragon lovers', right?" Johan asked. "I've heard about them, too. The hunters hate them. How are they called… Shadow and Silver! The hunters are even looking for a man named Grimmel to get rid of them."

"Who?"

"Grimmel. He calls himself the Night Fury killer."

"Night Fury Killer? But there are no Night Furies anymore. We've never seen or heard about one in over five years."

"Not around here, but this Shadow person rides one."

Stoick's eyes gleamed. That Night Fury could only be the black demon that had killed his son, there were no other around the Archipelago or beyond. He needed to know more, but he needed to do it in privacy, so he turned to the two young adults and said with his very demanding voice.

"Astrid, Fishlegs, I want you two to tell everyone we need to capture more dragons and fast. The hunters will probably be arriving this week and we can't waste anytime, especially since the dragons don't come here as often since the raids stopped."

"Yes, sir." Both said at the same time and left the harbor.

He looked at the other remaining Vikings around. "What are you still doing here? Didn't you hear me? We need more dragons and we need them now! Go prepare the traps!" All the other Vikings nodded and followed Astrid and Fishlegs as fast as they could. Only then, Stoick turned to the trader. "Johan, are you sure about this Grimmel and this Shadow?"

"I don't know, Master Stoick, I've only heard about it all, I've never met any of them."

"Well, then, I want you to deliver a letter to this Grimmel. I want to meet him, too."

"Master Stoick, I don't even know where he lives or where he is. Let alone if he'll join the hunters… If he's not, I don't know how or _if_ I'll be able to find him."

"No problem. When and if you find him, you deliver him the message. Just wait a few minutes and I'll bring it with my chief-seal."

Johan agreed and then Stoick left.

* * *

**So now it was time to see what was happening on Berk… **

**At first, I was thinking of putting the two heir options to be Astrid and Snotlout, and that's what I've seen in some fics, but I wanted to do something different and since (in the movies) Snotlout doesn't seem to be Hiccup's cousin like in the books, he wouldn't be the next in line anyway… And let's face it: he wouldn't really be a good chief (even though I like his character).**

**I've been a bit upset that this fic is getting way less reviews than the usual I get and I don't know what's going on... So please leave a comment down below, I'd love to love your thoughts on it so far! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks so much for all the support and reviews! And here are the answers: **

**Leo200ish: Thanks so much! (no, you don't, you sound like a supportive person! hehehe) **

**JChttyd: Yes! I think the reactions in runaway fics are the most interesting thing in this kind of setting! But sorry, it's still going to take a while, so enjoy the ride! :D **

**CB73: Yeah, Snotlout wouldn't be a good choice (although I like his character and he had improved a lot on RTTE), and I really like the fact that Astrid and Fishlegs are opposites (and Hiccup, as a leader, is kinda like a mix of both), so I though it'd be a nice twist to put Fishlegs as a possible heir. And unfortunately, Stoick is really just too stubborn, the kind of person that only changes after he's suffered or wronged a lot... **

**Silvolde: I said that because Silver and Silvolde have a similar beginning, so maybe it has a reason for it, I'm quite interested in languages. About Astrid' plan, you gotta read to find out more... hehehe. And yeah, it happens, but I usually get way more reviews than that, so I don't know if it's happening because my story isn't really good or interesting or because the fandom is kinda dying, or both... So it's a bit disappointing... But anyway, thanks for your support! **

**Dinochickrox: Thank you! And don't worry, there's gonna be some action soon! **

**Calvin: Thanks you for your review! However, I can't really answer yet, it'd be spoiler... **

**guest: Coming next! I hope you'll like it!**

**Guest: Yeah! I thought it'd be a nice twist! **

**Now on with the story: **

* * *

_Shadow and Silver _

_Chapter 07_

For the second time that week, Hiccup and Heather found themselves heading to yet another hunter's ship full of caged dragons. They usually didn't have to do it that often, but they've been spotting more and more ships with dragons lately.

They were wearing their fireproof armors as they always did. It started when Hiccup noticed the hunters would wear pieces of clothing from dragon skin and it wouldn't burn, but of course, Hiccup did the armors with shed scales instead of killing the dragon to get its skin. The results were the same.

Toothless approached the ship first and he stealthily landed on the deck. Hiccup slowly dismounted, both looked around, searching for any sign of hunters nearby. There were some patrolling, the deck, so Hiccup and Toothless hid behind the cages.

As soon as the guard passed, Hiccup positioned himself in front of the cage. The dragon inside snarled at him, but the man soothed him down before he unlocked the door. He opened it slowly, hoping it wouldn't make a noise and it didn't, except for the blade that swooshed down and almost snatched away Hiccup's hand. Luckily, he retrieved it in the nick of time.

"Wow, they're getting better with their traps, I didn't see it coming…" He mumbled to himself.

Meanwhile, Toothless was opening another cage when something landed near them.

"Only two so far? Hurry up!" Heather whispered to him as she opened another cage. She was ready to go inside when Hiccup grabbed her at the same time another blade descended from the top of the cage.

"Watch out for the traps, Silver."

She nodded and sighed heavily in an attempt to make her heart beat normally again. They continued with the task.

Some dragons decided to fly away, finally free, but that alerted the hunters and soon the deck was full of them, all trying to kill the thieves and their dragons.

"So much for being stealthy…" Hiccup shrugged as he ignited Inferno. "Toothless, go get the other dragons!"

The Night Fury promptly ran away, leaving the two humans and Windshear to fight the hunters.

As soon as they were done, they were up to the skies with the free dragons following them. When they were high enough to be out of range, they separated and the flock of newly free dragons was divided as well. Both Heather and Hiccup followed opposite paths to confuse the hunters and only to stop when they were far away and safe enough.

Usually, they'd meet at an island nearby, both to make sure the hunters weren't following them somehow and to check on the dragons. Besides, it was safer to land there first then in the defenders of the wing so they'd make sure that the hunters wouldn't know where their island was.

Both walked around the dragons, some were malnourished, some were fine, luckily; only a few of them were wounded.

"Well, I guess that's it. Let's go back to the Defenders of the Wing." She said. Hiccup nodded, but didn't move. "Hiccup?"

"Yes?"

"Did you listen to me?"

"Sorry, no. What were you saying?"

"I said 'let's go'. What were you thinking about anyway? You've got that thinking face on."

He chuckled, but just slightly. "It's just… Don't you think they're more active lately? I think something's wrong. We had to act twice this week, usually we don't have to be that active."

"Well now that you've mentioned it, it's quite strange… Do you think they have increased their numbers?"

"I don't know. Maybe they got more people working on land? I don't think they've got more ships, at least not that much, but they're transporting dragons more often, that's for sure."

"We can think about it later, we need to go take these dragons home and treat the wounded."

"You're right, we should go… Or maybe you can take them while Toothless and I double check if we're not followed."

"Alright, it's still night, you have an advantage there. Just don't do anything stupid like putting yourself in danger, okay?"

"Please, Heather, when am I not safe?"

"Do you want the list chronologically or in alphabetical order?"

He glared at her and then laughed before he mounted Toothless. She mounted as well and waited for Windshear to take off so the dragons could follow her. Once he and the Night Fury were alone in the island, they took off as well.

* * *

"I am very sorry to inform that your payment has been delayed." Krogan told Stoick.

"And why is that?" The Hooligan chief crossed his arms. The two 'almost heirs' were by his side.

"It's those pesky dragon lovers' fault. They robbed the ship with all of the payment of the tribes… Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do for the moment. But we'll get rid of them soon and anyway, you made your part of the deal, so we will pay you as soon as we can."

"Mogadon told me in a letter that arrived earlier today. His last shipment was taken as well." Stoick said.

"Even so, we will pay everyone for keeping their end of the deal, so you have nothing to worry about."

"And what are you doing to solve this problem?"

"I'm sorry, but that's confidential. But we know where they live and we are studying the possibilities."

Stoick frowned. He didn't like it one bit.

"Sir, may I have a word with you?" Astrid asked.

He knew she wouldn't be asking for it if it wasn't important, so he complied and turned to the other 'possible heir'. "Fishlegs, please help the hunters load in our shipment." The young man knew what he meant was to keep an eye on them, for he was as suspicious as his chief.

As soon as they were out of the harbor, she started quietly.

"Sir, I had this idea some time ago, but now it might be very useful… What if we managed to infiltrate on their side? We could get inside information and then take them down once and for all."

"Have you gone mad, Lass?"

"Please, hear me out. It is a good idea. A great idea. We can get everything we need from them this way."

"No, Lass. It's way too dangerous. If they realize it's a set up, they will kill you. I will not put you in danger. As a chief, I must protect Berk. Those dragon lovers aren't even directly bothering us. I wont put you in danger like that."

"But sir, you're not gonna put me in danger. I am the one who wants to go. I'm not scared to go on a mission like that. Besides, we might have the perfect opportunity to take down the dragon lovers and all of their dragons. Killing those stupid beasts will be way easier after that." And just for some extra convincing she added one last thing. "It will be good for everyone and Berk will be safer."

Stoick was about to deny again, but what she said couldn't help but make him think of the black dragon being murdered under his own axe. What would he give to put his hands on that dragon?

"I suppose, if we can find a way to bring you back, than I'll agree."

"Thanks, sir."

"And Astrid… You better return to take your position as heir."

"Wait, what?"

"You've proven that you are wiling to put the well being of the village above everything, risking your own life for that. You deserve to be the chief. And I believe that Berk with you on command will be able to finally get rid of the dragons."

Astrid's jaw dropped. All she wanted was to prove herself and Stoick gave her what she wanted the most!

"Thank you!" She took in a heavy breath. "You won't regret that, sir. You'll see. I'll prove everyone I can do this!"

"Alright, Lass. So go talk to your parents."

She nodded and ran towards her house.

In part, Stoick had told Astrid he'd allow it if her parents agreed because he was sure they wouldn't. Indeed it was very hard for her to convince her parents to allow her to follow her plan, but in the end, they ended up accepting. She was so sure of herself and so eager to fulfill her dream that they reluctantly let her do that.

So, at the end of the day, when the shipment of dragons were already loaded, Stoick told Krogan Astrid's idea to get inside information and he liked it. They had a meeting to settle down the details.

Astrid left with the shipment that day.

* * *

**So here is another chap! Please leave a comment down below, I'd love to read your thoughts on the story! :D **


	8. Chapter 8

**Review answers: **

**CB73: Yeah, she's kinda like the voice of reason for Hiccup, but he does that for her too, at times. And sorry, what's the B you mentioned? **

**HiyuuJin: I don't think if I'd say last chap was a cliffhanger exactly because it's pretty obvious one thing that's gonna happen, but how it's gonna happen is the deal here and how will their reactions be... Anyway, I'm honestly happy you think the story is interesting, so I hope you'll like this chap, too! **

**HTTYDfang1rl: Thank you! **

**And thanks to everyone who read (and review) this story! Now, Enjoy the chap!**

* * *

_Shadow And Silver _

_Chapter 08_

Astrid was bored. After three days sailing on that boat, inside that cage, she was ready to go crazy. When would she be kidnapped? Or better, saved. She had to remember they were going to save her… But at least she was well fed.

She'd only have more three days to get to their destination and if Shadow and Silver didn't show up and fast, she'd have to be put in another ship of dragons and sail until she'd be saved.

Someone brought her water and some yak chops for dinner in the beginning of the evening and then she ate and let herself doze off, so bored she was.

Astrid woke up hours later to the sound of cage's door opening slowly. The girl jumped and rushed to the cage bars to see who was there, it didn't take long before a person wearing silver armor appeared in sight. Finally!

"Hey!" She called in a whisper. "Please help me!"

The person stopped and looked at Astrid's direction before she approached slowly. A silver dragon came after the dragon thief.

"What?" It was a girl's voice.

"Please help me out. They've captured me and my dragon." Astrid looked around. "Please, we don't have much time."

The girl wondered for a moment until she pointed to the locks on the cage. Since it was holding a human, they've put extra locks in there. The dragon sliced its tail and the pieces of the locks fell to the ground.

"Thanks!"

"Don't thank me yet, we need to take this dragons out of here. Can you do that?"

"Sure. I'll help you!" And so she promptly rushed to the nearest cage to open it.

Both girls continued for a while until some hunters enter their sight and nearly spotted them if it weren't for a noise in the other side of the deck. It was a blast that destroyed a few cages, the last ones still holding dragons on that side.

"We need to hurry!" The girl told Astrid. Soon they managed to free all the dragons.

The girl in silver armor hopped on the Razorwhip and extended her hand to Astrid. The Berkian felt a shiver ran down her spine, she forgot the little detail that she'd have to ride a dragon for her plan to work. Reluctantly, she accepted her hand and mounted behind her.

All the now free dragons shot up to the skies and Silver was relieved to see that a black dragon was leading half the pack south. Both girls headed north. Astrid could barely believe what was happening. She was actually flying! It was scary, yet amazing at the same time.

One hour and after many twists and turns later, they finally landed on an island.

The girl quickly dismounted and clenched her axe as she looked at Astrid.

"So… I'm guessing you're the one called 'Silver', right?" She jumped off of the saddle. "You don't have to arm yourself to attack me, I don't even have any weapons; they took it all away from me." It was a lie, obviously, she had left it all back on Berk.

Silver slid up her helmet to have a better look on the girl; she was pretty, big blue eyes, blond hair in a half ponytail that was braided down and her clothes were incredibly clean for someone that stayed in captivity and probably struggled a lot before then. The tiny bird skulls caught her attention for a moment; she'd seen something like that somewhere…

A Night Fury suddenly landed near them with a flock of dragons following close behind.

"Hey, Heat… Wait, what?" He started and then he saw Heather's companion.

"Hey! I found her in a cage at the ship." Heather told him and then looked back at the blonde. "So who are you?"

"I'm Zephyr." Astrid began, remembering everything she had rehearsed for three days in that cage. Still masked, the man wearing black crossed his arms. "Who are you two?"

"I'm Heather. This is-"

"Shadow. You can call me Shadow."

Heather raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't question and just went along. "By the way, you said you had a dragon, right?"

"Yes. Stormfly. She's a Nadder. We were captured three days ago."

"Interesting…" Shadow said. "How did you two meet and how come we've never even heard about you?"

"I was born in the Archipelago… A few years ago, the raids stopped and so one day, I found a wounded Nadder… it was so hurt and sad that instead of killing it, I helped it. It became my friend and then we decided to leave the island once we could fly away. We were living in peace in a deserted island for months until the hunters came…"

"Wow… I'm so sorry…" Heather said. Shadow, on the other hand still had his arms crossed and Astrid couldn't see his face, but she could feel he wasn't buying it. She gulped.

"So we must find Stormfly right away, don't you think?"

"Ugh, no. No need for that. If she hasn't found me yet, she must have flown back to our island."

"Really? That's strange, she'd probably be worried about you…"

"No need to worry, then. She must have been spooked away, but she'll be looking for you and since Nadders are tracker dragons, she'll find you sooner or later." There was something oddly familiar in his voice, but Astrid couldn't quite put her fingers on it.

"Are they?"

"Of course! Didn't you know that?" Heather asked.

"No… We always thought they were sharp class."

"Well, they are, but they're also tracker dragons. Anyway, Heather, we must check all the dragons and head home soon."

She nodded in response while Shadow approached the Night Fury and grabbed something from the saddlebag. He distanced himself from the girls, looking at the dragons.

"So… I guess your boyfriend doesn't like me very much…" Astrid tried to hide how nervous she was as she probed about him.

"What? No! Ew!" And then Heather giggled. "He's definitely not my boyfriend. He's my brother."

"Oh. It's a family business, then." She joked.

"You can say that. Our mother usually does that too, but nowadays she's spends her time more at the Sanctuary, making sure all of the dragons we rescue will be safe." She explained as she checked the nearby dragons for wounds. Astrid did the same, faking compassion for the beasts as best as she could.

"Okay, I'm done here." Shadow said a few minutes later. He handed Heather his sketchbook, it was opened in a page in the middle of it. "I've annotated here the most injured ones, you can take a look on the way. There's a Rumblehorn in need of immediate medical attention. I want you to head home first with the flock." He turned to the blonde. "Zephyr, you're riding with me. We're gonna take the longer route."

She raised an eyebrow at him. They never annotated anything; there wasn't any time for that. Yet, she understood what he had implied and nodded. Once she was back on Windshear's saddle, the dragon roared to call the other ones and they all followed her.

"Well, Milady, are you ready to fly?"

"I've flown hundreds of times before." She felt her heart beat in her throat, lying as best as she could.

"I'm sure of it, but you've never experienced a Night Fury's speed. Would you like to try that? I believe so, since you ride one of the fastest dragons after Toothless." He petted the dragon's head.

"Toothless?"

"It's a pun. Maybe one day I'll explain you." He mounted extending his hand. "Shall we go?"

She gulped but accepted his hand and soon she was sitting behind him. The girl didn't have time to say anything before the dragon suddenly took off as fast as he could. Toothless responded to the movements of the tailfin perfectly, once they were higher than the clouds, he stopped climbing and let his body fall to the side. Astrid yelled as she held tight to the man in front of her. Hiccup's breath was nearly knocked out of him.

Toothless continued with multiple spins, loops and abrupt turns, though all of that were not to scare her, the truth was that Hiccup wanted to make her confused enough so she wouldn't know exactly where their island was. They also needed to take their time so Heather could arrive and warn everyone before they landed on the island.

"Oh, come on, Zephyr… Sure you, as a rider, love to fly like that!" He said loud enough for her to hear his muffled voice, but trying to hide his laugh.

"No, I don't! I like real smooth flights!" She yelled at him, having her eyes shut.

"Like that?" He asked when he decided she had had enough. Toothless started gliding calmly.

Astrid felt as if she could finally breathe and once she noticed she was not going to fall to her death at any minute, she slowly opened her eyes and let go of her grip, just holding him softly.

Her first flight with Heather felt rushed, they needed to get out of there or they'd die (even though Astrid knew the hunter would let them go). This time, however, after she nearly had a heart attack, the flight felt different, it was almost magical. She took the time to really look at the environment, the clouds were so close she could touch them by reaching her hand and the moon seemed brighter, shining over the sea beneath them, crating a trail of beautiful gleam on the water.

She couldn't help but smile. "Yes. It's much better like that…"

"Yeah… I like that, too." He slid the front of his helmet up, surely it wouldn't be a problem, it was at night and she was sitting behind him. "Flying is great. When I'm up here, I don't even feel cold I just feel…" His voice trailed as he breathed heavily.

"Free?" She guessed. Hiccup was so surprised he turned around to face her.

"Yes…"

Astrid tried to take a better look at his face, but he turned back before she could do so. They felt silent for a long moment until he pointed ahead.

"We're here."

"It's beautiful." She peaked over his shoulder, looking at the island getting closer and closer until they could see the village full of dragons.

"If you liked it now, you should look the island up here when it's dawn. There's nothing better than flying at dawn or dusk. It's like the sky is making a light show just for you."

* * *

**if you like this chap, please consider reviewing! It'll make my day! **


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks so much for your wonderful reviews! Now, for the answers:**

**Silvolde: Thank you for reviewing! And yeah, Hiccup and Astrid finally meet after so long! But for the answers of your questions, I won't spoil, but enjoy the reading! **

**HiyuuJin: hehehe, thanks! And I guess I like writing cliffhangers... Anyway, the wait is over! Enjoy the chap! **

**Calvin: I won't spoil, so you'll have to read to find out! but thank you for leaving me a review! **

**CB73: Thank you so much for your great reviews! And nice question there about Astrid, would she want the dragons to end after befriending them? But will she befriend them? And if she does, so what do you think she'll do then? **

**JChttyd: lol, yeah! they're finally meeting after almost six years! Thanks so much for reviewing, I hope you'll enjoy this chap! **

**Guest: Yeah, it is! I thought it'd be the perfect name for Astrid's disguise, lol **

**CHSHiccstrid: I noticed you reviewed twice because you probably hit the wrong button, I've done it before, too... Thanks you for your reviews! I'm glad you liked the concept and the twists in the "romantic flight", though it really wasn't romantic, yet; after all, they're not in love, yet. And yeah, I thought the name Zephyr would be perfect! Why choose a fake name if I could put this little Easter Egg in it, right? I think it'd be way more fun! **

**Enjoy the chap! :D**

* * *

_Shadow and Silver _

_Chapter 09_

Heather looked back to see if the flock was close behind as soon as Windshear was airborne. Once she was sure of it, she looked at the sketchbook. She had to hold it tightly and up so the moonlight could shine on the pages; holding the pages carefully so they wouldn't flip, making her lose the one he wanted her to see.

It was hard to read due to poor light, and his usually nice calligraphy was rushed, but she managed.

_She is lying. She's Astrid from Berk. I don't believe the Nadder thing, it's probably a set up but we can use it in our advantage. I'll explain later. Warn Mala about her and tell everyone to call me Shadow._

Heather's jaw dropped. She had to re-read that twice because she couldn't believe it, or better, she didn't want to believe it. She closed the book and soon they arrived at the Defenders of the Wing. As the people helped the wounded dragons, Heather rushed to tell the events to Mala and show her Hiccup's notes. Needless to say, the Queen didn't like it one bit, but complied, for she trusted the young riders.

A few minutes later, Toothless landed there. Mala was the first to come and introduce herself.

"Nice to meet you, Queen Mala." Astrid bowed, not really knowing what to do. "I'm Zephyr."

"I've heard so. Well, you must be starving and tired. Don't worry, we'll find your dragon companion soon, you can look for her in the morning, but for now, rest." Mala turned to the man at her side. "Throk will escort you to an empty small hut. We can talk more in the morning."

"Yes, Queen."

As soon as Throk guided the girl away, Mala's small smile turned to a serious expression. "Care to explain why you decided to bring a dragon killer onto my island?" She put her hands on her hips.

"I'll get to that, Mala. I have a plan, but I need to tell you later in a more private place. Just don't worry; it'll work. And it'll be good to know how she's going to get out of here, because they surely have a plan so she can deliver the hunters information…"

Valka and Heather – still wearing her armor – approached them and heard part of their conversation. His mother embraced him; glad to see he was fine. She did that all the time with both siblings when they returned home. "Are you really sure the Vikings are working with the hunters?" There was a hint of disappointment under her voice.

"Yeah…" He took his helmet off. "Proof of it was that in this ship there weren't any traps. They really wanted us to leave with her. I thought the lack of traps was weird until I saw Astrid lying about her name…"

"They're getting more allies…" Mala sighed.

"That would explain why they seem so active lately. The Vikings are delivering more dragons to the hunters."

"And what do you expect to do in the meantime? Stick with your helmet all the time you're around her?" Valka glanced at the helmet under his arm. He shrugged.

"Yeah? Maybe?"

"I think that would raise suspicions… She'll be sure you're hiding something." Mala said and Heather nodded.

"You know, you can be without it. How long have you last seen her? Five-six years? You've changed a lot since then." Valka stroked the boy's cheek.

"I know… But I recognized her, she can too."

"It's different, you ever really forgot her and kept sketching her face for years." Heather pointed out. "And you said so yourself barely no one noticed you in Berk."

"Besides, didn't you say you've heard once at the markets that the Hooligans had lost their heir?" Hiccup nodded as Mala's question. "So, for her, you were supposed to be dead. Try to stay away from her if she makes the link of who you are; we'll back it up saying you were raised here. She'll think it's a misunderstanding."

"Okay, fine. I still don't think it's a good idea, though… Anyway, just remember everyone _not_ to call me Hiccup. That would be a dead giveaway."

"Agreed. I'll talk to everyone while I check on the dragons. You will explain everything as soon as you rest, young man." Mala said before she left, Valka followed her, also worried about the dragons.

Heather turned to leave as well, but Hiccup followed her. "So, sis… How was the ride? How are the dragons?"

"Most are fine, the wounded are being treated and all of them are being fed…" She grabbed an elbow as she continued to walk away.

"Hum… Are you okay?"

"Yes…" She sighed, her eyes aiming at the dark sea.

"You don't seem to be. Were you hurt?"

"No."

"Then what's going on? You're usually so excited after a raid you can barely sleep."

She sighed again, this time, she raised her eyes to him. "I was so stupid, Hiccup… I was falling for everything she said… I was so happy to find someone else like us. I thought maybe we could actually change their minds. Maybe Vikings could see how good dragons are… But I guess mom was right. People can't change. Some of us are just born different…" She finished looking at her boots and anything else but him.

"Heather, don't say that."

"It's true! And I was about to put the whole island in danger because of that… At least when we met you, we had at least a few days to get to know you and Toothless's behavior proved you two had a bond, so it was less likely that we'd be wrong about you, but with her… I was so blinded because I wanted so much to find more people like us that I just believed in her…"

He let his helmet fall to the sand and grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to face him. "Look, if it makes you feel better, I'd have probably believed her too, if I didn't know her. And I'd definitely be blinded by those blue eyes…" He let the last part escape, making his sister raise an eyebrow.

"So you like her blue eyes, don't you?"

"What? I don't know what you're talking about…" He looked up innocently, blushing, but glad to see the smile back on Heather's lips. "Come on, sis, we need to rest."

Astrid paced around the room. The hut they let her in was small, but cozy, however, what made her anxious was that Throk guy still at the door. He remained there and she wasn't sure why. Was he guarding her? Was he keeping an eye on her? Did they believe her story or not? If not, she was sure she'd be dead by now.

Her nervousness kept her awake for a long time. There was only one window to the right, but she could tell Throk would be able to hear her if she ran away. Astrid tried to calm herself, maybe they believed her, but were just being cautious. That made sense, she'd be cautious, too. She just had to keep her façade. On this island, she was not Astrid Hofferson, the dragon killer; she was Zephyr, the dragon rider.

Eventually taken by exhaustion, she let herself lie in bed and drift off to sleep. She woke up hours later to the sound of dragon roars outside. She jumped up, automatically reaching for her favorite axe under the pillow, only to remember she didn't have any weapons.

The roars continued, so she curiously walked outside, finding Throk still on guard duty, he had probably spent the whole time there.

"What's going on?"

"Why don't you see for yourself what those horrible monsters have done." He gestured to a few big huts some meters away.

"What have the dragons done?"

"I meant the hunters."

"Oh… Yeah, of course…" She mumbled as she neared the hut where the roars came. Bumping noises were heard until a Rumblehorn stampeded from the hut, opening a hole on the wooden wall as he ran outside right in her direction.

Astrid yelped as she was pulled away, but what stopped the Rumblehorn was a crazy guy that jumped in front of the dragon. His hands were stretched forward and one was holding something like grass. The dragon was surprised at the man and sniffed what in reality was dragon nip.

She looked behind her; Throk was the one who had tried to take her from the dragon's path. Another hand touched her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Heather asked.

"Yes. Sure. Sorry, it took me by surprise…"

"It's okay." She said turning her attention to the man in front of the Rumblehorn.

Astrid couldn't imagine what the hell he had in his head, but he was brave enough, for she knew the dragon could kill him easily, by either burning him or running him over. The Berkian girl also couldn't help but wonder who was that very handsome guy. Or at least he seemed handsome, but she could only see his profile for now when he turned to talk to someone.

"Haven't you given him some Sage Fruit?"

"We gave him plenty, but he just won't calm down." The person dressed in black answered.

The crazy man shushed the dragon gently. Astrid's jaw dropped. He was Heather's brother! He had a very distinct voice, but if that weren't enough, the Night Fury growling behind him would give it away.

Someone else came closer to him. "It's because he's in too much pain… We tried to help him all night, but it's not working. We'll have to take it off…"

"I was afraid it'd come to that when I saw his leg…" Hiccup mumbled, but Astrid and Heather could hear. "The trap was buried deep in his flesh and be probably fought a lot trying to get out of it…"

The Rumblehorn roared again and tried to advance but the Night Fury growled and threatened to shot at him, but Hiccup raised a hand to make him stop. "Toothless, that's not helping." The black dragon complied immediately, but was still ready to attack at any minute.

Astrid couldn't believe what she had just witnessed. How could that scrawny – yet very good-looking – guy stop a dragon with the move of his hand? And it was the offspring of lightening and death itself!

"Of all the dragons, it just had to be a Rumblehorn…" He said.

Astrid had a question forming as she glanced at Heather. "What's going on?"

"The dragon's paw." She answered. It was only then that Astrid saw the damaged bloody right front leg of the blue and purple. "The problem is that Rumblehorns are very strong, it's a specially difficult procedure in dragons like that. Even more so when he's so scared and in pain. I really don't know how he hasn't passed out already."

Hiccup gently caressed the dragon and the Rumblehorn wined. Astrid didn't want to admit it, but she felt sorry for the creature. He lost his strength for a moment and Hiccup persuaded him to lay down using the dragon nip.

"You know, my brother is one of the best dragon trainers on the island. He's been good at soothing dragons since he was a little kid." Heather lied in an attempt to distance the image of her brother from the Hiccup Astrid knew.

"Okay, we're gonna have to do this now, I don't know how much longer he's gonna hold. We're gonna need something to close his mouth, we can't risk him to breathe fire." Hiccup started giving orders, asking people to bring more sage fruit, needles and water and two guys needed to bring the saw. And then he told Cloudjumper to hold him down. "Toothless, hold his leg. Make sure not to use your teeth." The dragon retracted his teeth and bit the leg in place as firmly and as softly as he could.

"So that's why he's the leader of the dragon healers?" Astrid asked Heather.

"What? No. He's no leader. Mala asked him to be once, but he didn't want to. He's just good to deal with the dragons and he knows what each one does best, so he's usually the one to step up when things get complicated…" Heather bit her lower lip. "I think we better leave. This is not something nice to see and I really don't want to witness that again…"

Astrid understood what she meant the moment the girl glanced at her brother and Astrid noticed the metal leg. How did she not see that before was beyond her, but maybe it was too dark and they hurried too much, she didn't have time to really look at them before.

Heather started walking to the opposite side and Astrid followed her.

"So, Zephyr, what would you do in the morning? We still have some time before lunch."

"I train every morning."

"Really? So do I. Maybe we can do it together." It was the perfect opportunity to see how well she performed in battle, just in case they'd need to fight. "Weapon of choice?"

Astrid smiled. "Axe."

"Great. That's my favorite too. Follow me, I have the perfect spot." Then she turned to the silver dragon. "Windshear, stay with them, they might need some help." She complied and went to help Cloudjumper hold the Rumblehorn down.

Astrid followed Heather to a place in the woods where the girl kept targets and well-sharped axes for training.

* * *

**So, Hiccup knew it all along! Who guessed it right? **

**Do you think Astrid is gonna recognize him? **

**Please don't leave without writing a comment! I'd love to read it! :D **


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks for all the support and reviews! I really appreciate them! No, answering the reviews: **

**Silvolde: Nice guess! I hope you'll like how the events will unfold, being right or not... And thanks for reviewing! :D **

**Angryhenry: Thanks! **

**CB73: Yep, her lie fell apart right then, and poor Astrid isn't even aware of it, yet... I think it's gonna be nice seeing them struggling to keep their facades for a while, lol. Thanks for your comment and enjoy the chap! :D **

**HiyuuJin: Thank you! I'm happy you like the cliffhangers so far and enjoy the new chap! **

**Here's another chap! I hope you'll enjoy!**

* * *

_Shadow and Silver _

_Chapter 10_

"Come on, you can do better than this." Heather crossed her arms. Hiccup had told her how good Astrid was and that was five years ago, so it was a surprise when she didn't hit the center of the target.

"I'm just getting started."

"My turn." She grabbed a double-headed axe and threw it into the target with nearly perfect accuracy. "Try to do better than that."

Now Astrid's ego was hurt and it made her blood boil. She wasn't sure at first if she should show her abilities, but her competitive side would soon get the best of her. She grabbed the next axe and threw it with accuracy at the center of a target, next to the previous axe she had thrown. A smug smiled appeared on her face.

"And what about this axe of yours?" She pointed at the one who was most different, with a crescent moon shape. "It's interesting."

"Thanks." Heather slid it open, making it seem twice the original size and then she threw it like a boomerang at the targets. It chopped out part of the handles of the axes there before it buried itself on a target.

"Okay, you need to show me how to make this one."

"I can't. It was my brother who made it."

"He's good…"

"You have no idea."

"And you two seem pretty close. I mean, he even agrees to wear matching clothes."

Heather chuckled as she walked to the targets to retrieve the weapons. "It's the other way around. I told him I liked his vest and he made one for me. He likes matching stuff or he wouldn't put the details on his shoulder pads the same color of Toothless's tailfin." Astrid raised an eyebrow, she didn't remember it, but she'd see it later. "What can I say? He's got such an attention to detail…"

"By the way… what's his name?"

"He likes to be called Shadow. We told you that."

"I see… So, what else do you have around here? Could you give me a tour?" Astrid Asked, pointing behind her with her thumb.

Heather knew she'd ask that sooner or later; she smiled. "Of course. Follow me."

* * *

"And what are those things above the buildings?" Astrid pointed after they've walked around the island and now were heading back to the village.

"Our fire prevention system."

"I see… So that's how you manage to live with dragons? I mean, I'm living by myself with my dragon, so it's easier to manage, but a full scale village..."

"It's not like it's a problem, but we're not blind to the risks. They are big, strong fire-breathing lizards, so accidents happen. However, it is wonderful to live with them, even in a village like that. They help us in many ways, they're kind, gentle and caring and they'd do anything for the ones they love."

Astrid resisted the urge to laugh and snort. Dragons had feelings? They loved? That was absolutely insane. They were mindless beasts with no feelings and no remorse, nothing but killing machines; this is what she had been taught her whole life.

Heather then took Astrid to the dining hall; it was the biggest building in the center of the village. The two girls got their food and Heather searched for a table until she found her brother and mother sitting in one of them. They sat there.

"You know my brother, and this is my mother, Valka."

While the two women greeted each other, Hiccup swallowed what was in his mouth and glanced up, but kept his focus on his food, trying to seem as natural as he could. Astrid took notice of the Night Fury eating a pile of fish on the floor next to Shadow, so she sat in front of Valka who was by the boy's other side. Heather took the place in front of him.

Astrid looked at Hiccup for a long while. "You remind me of someone…"

"Oh, really?" He was doing his best to hide away his nervousness. "That's nice, I guess…"

"Yes, but I just don't really know who…"

"Well, he must have been someone very important to you, then…" He rolled his eyes. Now he also had to hide his hurt pride. How could she not remember him when he recognized her the second his eyes met her. Maybe Heather was right, he had her on his mind for all those years and she probably never even looked at him for more than five seconds anyway.

"So, bro… How are you?"

"Tired, obviously. As if it weren't tiring enough staying awake nearly the entire night, we only had four hours of sleep before Hal woke me up to help out with the Rumblehorn. That's just perfect…"

"I know, I was there, remember?" Heather smiled, rolling her eyes. "What I meant was about the procedure… And how is the dragon?"

"We're pretty sure he'll live." He put his fork down. "But it was very hard…"

"We stayed with him until very recently." Valka continued. "He is finally sleeping now, the poor creature is exhausted, but at least his pain will subside now."

"I'm sorry, but why go through all of this trouble for him? Wouldn't it be better to put him out of his misery?" She grimaced at the memory of the Rumblehorn. Even though she was trained to kill them her whole life, she never liked the idea of making them suffer until they'd die. She wanted clean and quick deaths.

The three of them stared at her until Hiccup broke the silence. "Boy, aren't I glad people didn't think like that when I went through it…"

Astrid got instantly red from embarrassment and Hiccup couldn't believe he made the most confident and strong warrior of Berk regret what she had said.

"No, it's… What I mean is that he is a dragon, it's way more difficult to do something like that than on a human… and, well, as humans, we know what to do to help speed up the process of healing, right?"

"Killing him was not an option." He told her simply. "Of course it was difficult and of course we're gonna have to help him a lot so he can heal properly, but we did it, didn't we? And now one life is saved. We spare no efforts to save a life."

"I guess you're right…" Astrid mumbled. His sarcastic tone from before kept ringing in her mind until, "Hiccup!"

The three froze for a moment, but resumed eating.

"What do you mean?" Heather asked.

"He reminds me of a guy I knew named Hiccup. You look just like him!"

Valka laughed. "He couldn't be him, dear. You said you were born in the archipelago; we haven't even been there. My son was raised here." She spoke with such confidence Astrid couldn't doubt it even if there were 'I'm Hiccup' written on his forehead.

"Yes, but you look like him so much!" Now she was tracing his features while searching for remembrances of the lost heir. "I mean, you couldn't be him, Hiccup is dead… Maybe you're somehow related? Hum… I think the only difference was that Hiccup's eyes were blue…"

His jaw dropped and Heather tried hard not to laugh at his indignation. He was glad she didn't recognize him, but at the same time, it was upsetting to know he was so foreign to her that she couldn't recognize him. She really paid no mind to him at all while he was on Berk.

"By the way, what happened to your leg? From where I come, something like that would have been a dragon, but I don't think that'd be the case in here…"

"Oh, no, you're wrong there. That was actually a dragon's fault…" He pointed at the black lizard. Toothless had finished eating and tilted his head in a questioning way. "This one here, specifically."

Astrid's expression was blank and he could barely hear her thoughts saying they were insane. He laughed, looking at the dragon.

"You couldn't save all of me, could you?" Toothless purred as his chin was scratched. Hiccup turned to Astrid. "I bet you thought it was in a fight against him for a moment, didn't you?"

"Yeah, sorry… It's just hard not to think of something like that when that's all I've grown up hearing about… Having a dragon as a friend is still very new to me…"

"I don't blame you, dear. When I was a little girl, I've heard terrible stories from the archipelago, too…" Valka said.

"Zephyr, you told us the raids had stopped, right?" Hiccup asked and she nodded. "Have you ever wondered why?"

"Well… no."

"That was Toothless and I. By the way, I only survived because of him, so I'm glad I only lost a leg and not my life…"

"What does that have to do with the raids?"

"The Red Death." Heather cut in. "It was a dragon-monster the size of a mountain. The Alpha of the dragons."

"It lived in an island in the archipelago. It was the nest of the dragons." Valka continued being cautions not to say too much. "We ended up finding it when we were exploring."

"That monster controlled the dragons to get it food or they'd be eaten themselves. So we had to do something. By the end of the conflict, I almost died, but the dragons were freed from her mind control and now they can go after normal food instead of Viking food. They're never gonna raid again, or at least not the way it used to be. You are welcome." He put a hand over his chest in a dramatic and playful manner, which made Astrid think this confident guy couldn't be the shy and awkward Hiccup she knew, even if he was just like him.

"Oh… that explains a lot…" She was still processing the information. "But really? The size of a mountain? Aren't you exaggerating a little bit?"

"I wish we were." Valka's voice trailed off.

"Then how could a dragon so little defeat a monster so big?"

"With a fiendishly clever plan that included gas, no fire protection inside their bodies and a huge explosion at the right time." He waved his hands, mimicking an explosion.

"Don't forget using its size against it." Heather reminded him.

"Oh, yes, we did that, too."

"Anyway, dear, don't you want to take a look on the Nadders before I take the dragons away? Yours might be around."

"What, no… No need for it. I know that Stormfly would have found me if she was around." Astrid gulped. "Really, don't worry. She'll appear sooner or later."

"Well, that's weird. If you two were captured together, she should have been on that boat. And we took all the dragons from there."

"They had two ships… But the other one would take longer to go to their destination…"

"Really? Why didn't you say so! We need to go to the Northern Market, then."

Astrid raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"To see if we can find information about this ship. We can go in the afternoon as soon as I check some dragons at our infirmary."

She smiled, but he knew it was a fake one. "Sure."

"Good. Then why don't you help my sister and I while we take care of them?"

* * *

"So, where are they going?" Astrid watched Valka on top of her dragon that was calling the other ones. All of those who were in good health followed her and Cloudjumper East.

"To a place we call Sanctuary."

"And what is that?" She followed them throw the village. The scary Night Fury and the Razorwhip were with them. They were like bodyguards and it annoyed the Berkian girl. How could they enjoy those shadows after them all the time?

"It's a place mom found a while ago." Heather explained. "It's a faraway island with lots of mountains and caves so the dragons can be safe. They used to live here, but it was getting too crowded…"

"So, once the dragons are healthy enough, we guide them there." Hiccup continued. "Sometimes they come back, though."

"Why don't you keep some of the healthy dragons you cap- get?" She was about to say capture, but changed midsentence.

"We don't 'get' them, Zephyr. We save them. They're free to come and go as they like, once they're cured, of course." He said nearing one of the large buildings next to the one that was having its wall repaired. "We hope they'll stay there, though, because it's a secluded place which waters are hard to sail through."

"And how many do you have there?"

"A lot. Probably around 100." Hiccup answered.

Astrid saw the pink and purple Rumblehorn sleeping on the corner. Its right leg ended in the middle and it was wrapped around clean cloths. "You know what, maybe I should wait outside… I don't really want to get in the way…"

"Nonsense." Hiccup waved. "It'll be good for you to know how to take care of your dragon if she ever gets hurt, don't you think?"

"Yes… sure." Heather gave her a basket full of fish. "Don't worry, we can see you're not so used to deal with them, you can just watch for now." Then she grabbed a fish and gave it to a hurt Gronckle.

Hiccup turned to the young man in the room. "Hal, how is he holding on?"

"He didn't wake up since he collapsed." He answered.

"Okay, make sure he gets enough water and food when he wakes up." Hiccup walked to the resting Thunderdrum on the other side of the room. "And what about this girl?"

"She's getting better." Hal said. "Already ate about 30 fish. She's still weak, so I think I'll try to feed her more later on."

"Alright. She needs to rest, but she definitely needs more fish than that. And remember, she's a Tidal Class, so she needs lots of water, too."

"Right, Hic-" The blond man stopped as he caught Hiccup and Heather's stressed expression. He cleared his throat. "Yes, sir."

"Good." Hiccup stood up. "Come on, ladies. There's a Nadder in Infirmary 5 that was about to get some stiches out today."

Astrid followed right behind them, her basket now half empty. "So, Shadow… Don't you have a name?"

"You've just said it." He entered in another building. There was a Monstrous Nightmare that quickly raised his head to look at the fish. Heather grabbed two fish and went to feed the dragon.

"Come on, Shadow is not your name." Astrid insisted while he approached the blue Nadder and gestured Astrid to come after him. "Everyone told me their names, why don't you?"

He glanced at his sister petting the Nightmare, since she wouldn't help him out of it; he resumed work by getting a fish and giving it to the Nadder. The dragon was lying on the ground so Hiccup knelt to see the cut under the dragon's wing.

"Zephyr, would you pass me that scissor, please?" Astrid reached for it on the table and gave it to him.

"Come on, what's the problem? Just tell me your name."

Hiccup's mind was blank there was nothing in there; he knew he should have come up with something... "Nuffink. Happy now?"

"Nuffink? Is this serious?" Astrid raised an eyebrow while Heather tried hard not to laugh. "No wonder you prefer Shadow…"

"We call him Finn for short." Hiccup looked at Heather, but the girl just shrugged and went along. "He's just very reserved."

"Yeah, yeah, anyway, Zephyr, can you help me here, please." He interrupted.

"What?"

"Just come close and distract this girl here."

"M-me?"

"Yes, you." He said. "I just need her to be distracted so I can take the stiches out."

She sighed and got a fish from the basket, waving in front of the blue Nadder as she knelt next to him. Hiccup began working, even though the dragon stirred uncomfortably once in a while.

"Come on, Zephyr. You can do better than that. You're not even touching the Nadder. Make her feel appreciated, will you?"

"Fine…" She slowly reached to pet the dragon's head. The Nadder tried to turn to look at what Hiccup was doing, but Astrid started saying. "Don't mind this bossy muttonhead. He's just trying to help you." The Nadder chirped.

"Bossy muttonhead?" He asked as he concentrated on the stiches.

"You were the one who asked me to distract her, so let me do it my way." She laughed and he glanced at her slightly annoyed, tussled auburn hair was like a curtain, partly covering his forest green eyes. She couldn't help but notice the lively gleam on his orbs. "Now, girl, look at this wonderful and tasty fish!"

When he finished, he petted the Nadder. "Good girl." He told the dragon. Astrid let out a chuckle and she looked down. "What?"

"Nothing… It's just… you've just reminded me of someone…"

"Oh… was that Hiccup guy you were talking about earlier?"

"No… You look like him a lot, you could even pass for his twin or something, but I was talking about a guy named Fishlegs now."

"Oh…" He suppressed how much he missed the guy, Fishlegs had been one of the few friends he had there, but they weren't on good terms since they started growing up and the bulling had escalated. He wondered how Fishlegs was now, but didn't ask about it so he wouldn't look as if he was interested. "Why?"

"He is crazy for dragons and he manages things really well, too."

"Thanks."

That was when a young brunette entered the place. "Oh, I was going to do that."

"No problem. I wanted to handle this little girl; I think she'll be ready to go to the Sanctuary tomorrow. Eira, could you get some chicken for her, please?"

"Sure. I'll bring it right away." She answered and then she was out the door.

Astrid raised an eyebrow at him. "By the way, are you sure you're not the leader of the… dragon healers?"

"Gods, no." He laughed. "I ran away from that…" Heather widened at him and only then he realized what he had said. Surely Astrid could have misunderstood him, but both siblings knew exactly what he meant. "I mean, I would run away from it. Responsibilities, running people, speeches… That's just not for me."

"Well, you're a natural at it, you want it or not." She laughed. "Well, indeed you couldn't be Hiccup… You might be his perfect image, but he was nothing like that at all…"

His eyes went automatically to his sister's. Heather was biting her lower lip in an effort to suppress her urge to laugh. His astounded look was priceless.

"By the way, brother I think it's getting late." Heather interrupted. "Maybe you should prepare to leave, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I guess so… Lend her your disguise clothes, I'll go get ready."

"Disguise? Why?"

"Because we're going to the Northern Markets."

* * *

**So, that's the end of the chap! If you liked it, please consider leaving a review down below, it'll make my day! I've been having so few reviews it's a bit upsetting... :/ **

**And do you think Astrid is finally letting her heart open to the dragons? Or is she not there yet? Did you like Hiccup's fake name? **


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you all so much for your reviews, it rings me joy to see your comments and how much you like this story! **

**HiyuuJin: Thank you so much for your adorable review! Indeed, I laughed writing that part, too! lol**

**Silvolde: Thanks for your review! Yeah, it should have been something that she'd notice (and I guess Hiccup is one of the few characters with green eyes in the whole HTTYD universe), but that's the thing. She really didn't pay attention on him to remember the color of his eyes. And in fact, eye color is not something people usually pay attention to, and after almost six years, she barely remembered Hiccup, so it was natural for her to forget about it... And there's a reason why she thought it was blue, she thought his eyes were more like Stoick's, a greenish blue (this detail will be addressed later). And I hope you'll enjoy the new chap! :D**

**Dinochickrox: Hehehe, thanks! I guess that'd be my reaction as well, lol. **

**CHSHisccstrid: Oh, thank you! I'm glad you liked Hiccup's fake name! :D **

**CB73: Nice way to describe Astrid's situation, in a crossfire of details form the past; that's really what's going on! And the more she'll interact with him, the more she'll be reminded of Hiccup and yeah, she paid some attention to Hiccup when he was on Berk, but would it be enough to recognize him? hehehe. And it would be very funny if they used these names for their children in the future (in this universe), lol. **

**JChttyd: Thank you so much for reviewing! And lol, yeah, it was a bit insulting, indeed; but good for him at the moment... Anyway, it was fun writing that part, lol**

**And now, enjoy the chap! :D**

* * *

_Shadow and Silver _

_Chapter 11_

They have been flying for more than an hour now. Astrid was wearing dark clothes just like Hiccup; she was still weaponless and he had at least a small sword on his back, but she could guess he had other smaller blades hidden from sight.

She looked behind them, the only sounds of the wind and flapping wings were nerving her, so she decided to ask him.

"Why are your dragon's tailfins different colors?"

"One is fake, can't you tell?" His playful tone wasn't harsh.

"Yes, but why?"

Hiccup was in doubt if he should explain it or not, but in the end, he knew he'd have to tell her something, after all, she'd just keep probing. However, he didn't need to say that Toothless couldn't fly without him.

"So he can fly." He paused, thinking about a way to end her curiosity, yet not saying too much. "When we met, I found him wounded and he couldn't fly. I changed that."

"Oh…"

"Look, we're here!" He pointed out and Toothless started turning so he could land on the island without being seen. "Remember, we're here to see if we can get information about that other ship, so just stick around and if you hear anything that might be familiar, you tell me."

"Yeah, right, no problem…"

And so they landed silently on the forest part of the island. Hiccup jumped off the saddle and offered a hand to Astrid, but she refused and just got out of there by herself. He rolled his eyes and petted Toothless in farewell, telling him to be careful and hide, even though the Night fury was well aware of that.

Astrid sighed as they neared the markets.

"What's wrong?"

"It's just… it's really unsettling going on a mission without any weapon. You know, the hunters took all the weapons I had with me and now I few naked without any blade… Anyway, I'm just glad they didn't take my favorite axe…"

"Why didn't they?"

"I left it behind the day I was captured..." She answered simply. She actually didn't intend on saying anything else, but she had just let it out.

"Why is it your favorite axe? Aren't they kinda all the same?"

"Well, this one is really good. My parents gave it to me when I turned 15, it's pretty, well-balanced and it's great to throw."

Hiccup widened. He remembered that axe; he was the one to make it all those years ago.

"Well, don't worry. Once we find your dragon, you'll be able to fly back home to your axe." He chuckled. Then he got his dagger and handed it to her. "But you know, in the meantime, if you need so much, here is something to help you feel a little 'clothed'. "

She felt her cheeks getting red and thanked him.

* * *

"Wow, nice axe you've got there." Hiccup approached a man. Astrid was within earshot, looking around the stands as if she was looking for something to buy.

"Thanks."

"Really well designed and shinny." He smiled and the man that looked like a hunter couldn't help but smile proudly.

"Well, it's Gronckle Iron."

"It seems like it. My sword is, too. Best thing that comes from dragons, don't you think?" He crossed his arms.

Astrid's eyes widened. How could he pretend so well? She didn't know him very well, but she was sure she'd never hear something like that from him or anyone from the Defenders of the Wing. And what the hell was Gronckle Iron?

"By the way, do you know if there's any hunter's ships around here?" Hiccup continued his plan.

"Why?" The man that looked like a hunter answered, just slightly suspicious, but the praises made him lower his guard a little.

"I'm a hunter for hire. One of the bests." His cocky smile was really convincing.

"Oh, really? And how someone so scrawny could be so good?"

"Well, turns out that you don't need brawns to have brains or talent. So, what do you say?"

The man was a little taken aback by Hiccup's confidence. "Well, yeah, I'm from a hunter's ship. We stopped by to resupply and we'll set sail at night."

"Good. And are you still getting dragons on the way?"

"No, the ship is full."

"Oh… Then I can't really be at service then, can I? But tell me, what kinds of dragons do you have there? Where did you come from?"

"We came from the South…" As he continued telling all the kinds of dragons they had caught, Hiccup glanced at Astrid and she discretely shock her head 'no'. Hiccup, however, knew she'd say that no matter what the answer would be, after all, 'Stormfly' wouldn't be there, she didn't have a dragon of her own.

Hiccup continued talking to him to get more information and the hunter told him that there was an empty hunter's ship heading north that he should ask to be hired there. The dragon rider thanked him and left, saying he'd do just that, but of course he didn't. He went to talk to Astrid.

"Well, we didn't get any information about your other ship. I'm sorry about that… I thought we could get something, after all, they usually pass around here."

"It's okay. At least you tried and for that I'm thankful."

"Well, let's go back. We need to get ready."

"Ready for what?"

"Well, to raid this ship, of course. We can't let these dragons be taken away. I don't even want to imagine the awful things they'll do with them once they get to their destination…" His voice trailed off. "So we need to head back soon so Heather and I can prepare."

Astrid had a crazy idea and out of an impulse, she made a decision. "I want to go with the two of you."

He tilted his head. "Really? But your dragon won't be there, you know that, right?"

"Yes, but I want to help!"

Hiccup knew it wasn't the truth, at least not the entire truth. "I don't know… you'd have to need at least a helmet to hide your face… The best would be to have an armor to protect you, but we don't have time to make one. Besides, you don't have a dragon."

"I can go long with one of you. And I don't really need armor; I can fight pretty well. Though I can get a helmet that fits me just to hide my identity, that'd be good."

"Why?"

"First, I'm dying for some action. And second, I want to be useful. You've helped me, so I want to help you, too." She shrugged.

Hiccup was onto her, there was something else in her reasons that she didn't say, but he could tell the ones she said had at least some level of truth in them. Either that or she was getting better in lying.

"Okay then. We can arrange that."

And so Hiccup led the way back to the forest where Toothless was waiting for them and the three flew back to the Defenders of the Wing.

* * *

**So this is the end of the chap! Did you like it? What do you think of Hiccup's acting skills? And what about his interactions with Astrid, was it nice? Please leave your comments down below, I'd love to read your opinions! :D **


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you all amazing people who are reading this story, and special thanks for those who are reviewing as well! **

**Now, answering your comments: **

**Silvolde: Yep, that he is! hehehe**

**HiyuuJin: Thanks! And yeah, Hiccup is a gentleman and he's great! I love his character! But that might take a while to happen... **

**CHSHicstrid: I love to reply to reviews, so no problem! Thank you for reviewing! And yeah, he was a bit ooc, I guess, but that's because he has a different background, he trained for it in the defenders and he's been doing it for a while now, so... And for Astrid, it was the first time she needed to act like that and faking beliefs she didn't even know were possible, so that's why she's a bit bad at it, lol. (and because it's fun to see her not being great at something, hehehe) **

**CB73: Thanks for reviewing! And yeah, poor Astrid, she doesn't even know her cover's been blown, yet... Nice idea, actually! I really liked them, but can't tell you what's gonna happen, for now... But I hope you'll enjoy the chap! :D **

**Guest: Thank you! And here is the update! Enjoy! **

**Now, enjoy the chap! :D**

* * *

_Shadow and Silver _

_Chapter 12 _

Once they arrived, Hiccup asked a friend to make some adjustments in a spare helmet so it'd fit Astrid, meanwhile, he told Mala, Valka and Heather what he learned in the Northern Markets and the two siblings would have a few hours to rest and then leave to raid the ship about two hours after sundown.

Leaving Astrid distracted with the helmet adjustments, Hiccup went back home to talk with Valka and Heather.

"So the thing is, I really don't know the reason why she volunteered…" He started. "Do you think it could have anything to do with the reason she might head back to Berk? Like being captured again?"

"It could be a reason... But is seems a little 'stupid' that in their plane she'd go back in the same way we found her…" Valka said.

Heather thought for a moment, then suggested. "Maybe she wants to prove herself to us?"

"Knowing her, that would make sense…" He nodded.

Valka's voice was serious. "Or perhaps, she wants to see details of how you work to tell them later."

"Would she really do that?" Heather looked at her brother; he shrugged with no answer.

"I don't know. I mean, this could be one of the reasons that she came here in the first place, but I felt as if she decided it at the moment…" He wondered out loud.

"Well, then, maybe it would be better for us to try to do something a bit different?" Heather said. "Usually we either go with you first, then I go after you and we unlock the dragons, but only when all of the cages are open is when we take off… or if necessary, one of us distract them while the other unlock the cages… And of course, we always fight when we're spotted… so what could we do differently?"

"Maybe we can all land at the same time in opposite parts of the ship. We only land first to take advantage on Toothless natural stealth and scale color, maybe it'd be good not to emphasize that we do that. The problem is that we might be spotted before we even begin…"

"Well, at least in this case we're gonna have someone else to help us free them."

"True…" Valka agreed.

"And maybe we should avoid showing her that our armors are fire-proof. I don't want her to know about it…" Hiccup said. "I'm gonna get Toothless fed and ready."

"Okay, I should do the same with Windshear."

After tending to their dragons, Hiccup and Heather ate their dinner – and so did Astrid – then they put on their armor, though the blonde just put on dark clothes from the Defenders of the Wing. When they were ready to go, Valka embraced them and embraced her children as she often did before a mission.

"Be careful you two."

"We always are, mom." Heather replied with a smile. She flanked at Hiccup. "Right, Finn?" He nodded in response.

"Are you sure you're all ready? Do you have all of your weapons on?"

Hiccup chuckled. "Mom, please, that is always the first thing we remember to take."

"I know… I just worry about you two…"

"We'll be fine."

Valka petted Toothless head. "And you be careful as well. Take care of him for me." Then she turned to Windshear, who nudged the woman. "And you take care of Heather for me."

Astrid observed the scene, remembering her own parents who were worried about her back on Berk. A curious blue Nadder approached her, chirping joyfully. Astrid ignored the dragon.

"So… I'm sorry to intrude, but who am I riding with?"

"With me." Heather answered just before the cheerful Nadder nudged the blonde.

"Or maybe you could ride her?" Hiccup asked as he jerked his head towards the blue dragon.

"But, Finn, she's not trained, yet…" Heather reminded him.

"I know, but she seems to like her."

"She must feel Stormfly's scent on me…" Astrid faked a smile and Hiccup was secretly impressed that he had managed to improve on her acting skills at least a little.

"That'd make sense." _If it were true_, he added mentally. "Or she just took a liking on you. That happens sometimes. Let's just hope Stormfly doesn't get jealous…" He chuckled.

"Do you think it could happen?"

"Of course. Dragons are a bit possessive, but it'll depend on the attention you give each and their personalities." He explained as he scratched the blue dragon's neck. "This one here, for example, seems to be very curious and friendly. Anyway, I know I might be complicated having this beautiful Nadder tagging along, but she may also be useful if we need more distraction. So, what do you say… Zephyr?" He remembered calling her by the fake name at the last minute.

"I…" Her blue eyes met the Nadder's bright yellow ones. The dragon chirped again and nudged her, her pupils were round and welcoming. Part of her really wanted to ride the dragon, but in the end, she shook her head. "I'd like to, but I don't want to take the risk and do something wrong with a dragon that I'm not used to… Even though she does seem to like me…"

"Fair enough. So let's saddle up." He said as he mounted Toothless. Heather mounted Windshear as well and Astrid mounted behind the girl. The two dragons took off.

* * *

Heather and Astrid hid behind a dragon's cell as they spotted a hunter passing by. As soon as he left, they resumed opening the cages.

Astrid couldn't help put smile at them tricking the hunters, especially when she'd just seen one of them banging at the cell bars to scare the dragon inside, only to have some fun. The thrill of the mission was hitting her like a wave with full force. She was a born warrior after all, she was made for missions like that, even though she tried to ignore the fact she was doing it to help dragons for the first time in her life.

She heard a gasp behind her and turned to spot a hunter. He had seen Heather and was about to yell for help. Astrid quickly acted and pushed him hard against a cell bar, making him hit his head on the metal with such a force it made him pass out.

"Thanks!" Heather whispered. "Now we need to hurry."

"At least no one else saw us…" Astrid smiled; however, it faded the moment both girls heard another hunter at the distance calling for help.

"Distract them! I'll finish opening these cages!" Heather told her and ran to the nearest locked cell door.

Astrid grabbed the hammer of the fallen hunter and went after the other ones. She fiercely attacked two hunters, nocking them out.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ship, Hiccup saw the commotion of the hunters running to the prow, luckily, Hiccup had already released the dragons downstairs. He exchanged worried looks with Toothless and gently put a hand on his snout.

"Go get the rest of them, Bud. I'll help them out."

The dragon cooed in response and left running. Hiccup went to the opposite direction, and as he watched a hunter coming from behind Astrid, he acted quickly by cutting down a rope that made part of the sail swing and hit the man, sending him off board.

She turned, surprised.

"Thanks… Watch out!" She yelled and threw her hammer at Hiccup, but he managed to dodge right on time for it to hit another hunter, knocking him out.

The smile on her face didn't go unnoticed. He raised an eyebrow and chuckled, looking at her. "You seem to be enjoying yourself."

"What can I say, I'm a warrior." She shrugged, searching for a new weapon to use until she found an abandoned axe on the floor.

"I can see that." Even so, he never imagined he's see Astrid Hofferson fighting for dragons and liking it as much as she was. "By the way…" he started looking at yet another group of hunters running towards them. "Stay away from the green smoke."

"What?" She asked, but he didn't have time to answer. Hiccup threw at the enemies a small can that released a green gas. She didn't know what that was, yet, she went to the opposite side.

Hiccup whistled, both Toothless and Windshear were trained and knew what to do, but the latter was closest and thus she breathed fire at them, igniting and making the gas explode.

He turned his attention to Astrid. "Now go find Heather. We're living." And so he ran to find Toothless.

Astrid did as she was told. Luckily, the girl wasn't too far; Heather hurried to mount Windshear and Astrid did the same behind her and then Windshear roared to call the dragons as she took off. The dragons opened the unlocked cell doors and followed the Razorwhip.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ship, Hiccup was cornered by some hunters when Toothless came running and tumbling down the men as he passed. Hiccup jumped on the saddle and the dragon took off, calling out the closest dragons. The flock divided in two as they always did. As planned, they met on the nearest island to check on the dragons so they could return to the Defenders of the Wing.

* * *

Astrid observed the people taking the dragons to the nursery buildings. She couldn't believe the proud feeling gnawing down on her. She shouldn't be feeling that, they were dragons! They have killed hundreds of them throughout history, they have burnt down so many houses in her village that pretty much every single building was new…

Yet… She couldn't shake the thought that they didn't deserve the horrible things hunters would do to them – and already did, given some were injured.

"You were great tonight, Zephyr." Hiccup said behind her.

"Thanks…" She had a small smile as she looked at him.

A rotten feeling of guilt hit her like a storm. She only reason that she volunteered for this mission was to learn how they operated and collecting valuable information to tell the hunters.

"You know, you could stay here and continue raiding their ships if you want to." He suggested innocently, but Astrid knew it wasn't a so innocent comment. Maybe it was the way he raised an eyebrow or the sly smile on his lips. He was testing her, wasn't he?

"I'd like to, but… I think this is just not my place. Either way, thank you."

"It's your choice." He shrugged. "Well, I'm heading to bed now, maybe I can sleep for a few hours. You should rest, too. Even though you're a warrior, you must be tired."

"I am, actually. I'll see you in the morning, then."

He waved goodbye and walked away. Astrid's eyes followed him until he was out of sight. There was something oddly and irritatingly familiar about him. Was it just the way he spoke? His voice was like someone else's but she couldn't remember whom… Was it similar to Hiccup's just because of his sarcasm? Or maybe both were a bit nasally, yet soft and nice at the same time?

He also moved his arms a lot, when Nuffink shrugged, his hands swung around in an exaggerated way. Astrid guessed Hiccup used to do that too, however, she never paid enough attention on him to be sure, though she remembered him using his hands a lot when he spoke.

Even then… Despite those similarities, Nuffink had green eyes, and Hiccup had bluish eyes… Like Stoick's. She was sure of it! Therefore, they couldn't be the same person, for people couldn't change their eye color. Besides, anyone could be sarcastic, or move around too much, but it was a way bigger change from being the small shy boy Hiccup used to be to the tall young man full of confidence that Nuffink was. The difference between the personalities of the two was so big that it was nearly unbelievable for them to be the same person, especially considering it happened in a short amount of time.

Astrid shook her head and took a heavy breath before she headed back to her small hut.

As she expected, there weren't someone by her door, but there were many people walking around, taking care of the dragons. It was a busy night for the Defenders of the Wing.

The next day was similar to the previous one, though she was luckily not awoken so early and she didn't have to go to the Northern Markets with Nuffink. The rest of the time, she joined Heather and Nuffink to take care of the dragons.

* * *

**So, that's it for today! I hope you liked the chap! **

**Please don't forget to make a writer happy today and eave me a quick review on your way out! :D **


	13. Chapter 13

**I'm overwhelmed with your positive reviews! Thank you all tons, I'm glad all of you like this story so much! **

**Silvolde: Lol, true! And I guess a secret part of Hiccup would want her to know it's him, but for now, she believes he is really Nuffink... **

**Guest: Thanks! **

**Dinochickrox: Yes, it will! And she's gonna be sooooo mad! lol **

**CB73: Thak you so much for your great reviews! And yeah, part of the reason Astrid doesnt see Nuffink as Hiccup is because she believes he's dead, actually, she's so sure of it it's blinding her (for now). Btw, lol, indeed only Toothless's speed would be able to safe Hiccup from her wrath... **

**HiyuuJin: Thank you so much and the wait is over now! But no, she's not colorblinded, the thing is that Astrid hadn't paid attention to Hiccup all that much when he was on Berk, therefore she doesn't remember him that much... (poor Hiccup) **

**HTTYDfanatic: Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying this fic! But don't worry, that will come soon. **

**JChttyd: Hehehe, if only she knew... And thanks for reviewing!**

**CHSHiccstrid: Yep, the Nadder likes her, but Astrid still wasn't ready to ride her own dragon... yet. Your reviews make my day, too, so thank you for reviewing! Enjoy the new chap, I hope it makes your day as well! **

**And now, on with the chap! **

* * *

_Shadow and Silver _

_Chapter 13_

Astrid was relieved that Throk wasn't around all night like in the first night. She left her small hut and stealthily went to the other side of the island. It had been already three days since she had been kidnapped and following Krogan's plan, he should be picking her up that night.

And she was right; on the horizon, she could faintly see the shape of a ship and then a small boat came into sight. Krogan was there, rowing the boat towards the island. She quickly met him at the shore and jumped on it.

"So, did you manage to get good information?" It was the first thing he asked as he rowed back to the ship.

Dark clouds filled the sky, almost blocking the moon and threatening to rain at any minute.

"Yes, plenty, but thanks for asking if I'm okay." Her voice was sarcastic, but he ignored it.

"Just start saying it already so we can plan our next move."

Astrid gulped and her hand clutched the boat as she realizes she didn't really want to do it… But she was a warrior and she would go through with he mission.

"They're a medium sized village, definitely smaller than Berk. Probably about a hundred people."

"What about the dragons?"

"They have mostly wounded and sick ones here. It's like an infirmary. The healthy ones are taken to a secluded place they call the Sanctuary. I don't know exactly where it is, but I think it's East from here. They've got around a hundred dragons there and I'm guessing these would be their backup."

"Good, and how long would it take for them to get help?" He kept rowing fast; they were almost at the ship now.

"I think about six hours by what they told me."

He smiled. "Great. Plenty of time for an ambush."

Astrid's heart sank. She turned to look at the shape of the dark island getting further and further away.

"But they're really good fighters. I've seen them training and they're fierce. They won't go down without a fight, dragons or not. But, I do think it'd be hard for them to get dragons anyway. They keep them free, so I don't see a reason for them to fight by their side."

She didn't know why she was talking so much anymore, but she guessed it was her obnoxious sense of duty. Yes, it could only be it… So, she decided not to tell about the time she raided one of their ships. Krogan didn't need to know nothing else and if she was being honest, she never liked the guy…

"That's even better." Krogan laughed as they finally got to the ship. The hunters threw them ropes and both wrap them at the boat so they could pull it onto the ship. "Oh, and one more thing…"

All of a sudden, he shoved her out of the boat. Astrid dint have time to duck or hold herself and so she fell into the sea.

"What the hell!" She screamed as she watched the boat get lifted up. "What are you doing?!"

"Don't take it personally, Astrid. You did a great job, thank you for all the valuable information… But you know, a village like Berk was nice as a business partner, but it can be a great ally, I just needed the right motivation. Turns out, lose their precious little heir to a common enemy might be the perfect way to enrage them up, don't you think?" He laughed, glad to get rid of her without having even to spare any arrow or effort besides rowing. He got all the information he needed and now the ship was sailing away. "Now you drown or you go back to the island and they will kill you for treason. That is, if you manage to swim back."

Astrid watched the ship move away quite quickly. The water moved around her and it was so cold her fingers soon were numb. She was lost in the middle of the ocean and it was so dark she could barely see anything. The island was so far away and if they so much find it suspicious that she was swimming at night, they could lock her up or worse, kill her. But what else she could do? There was nowhere to go.

She could only hope that she'd be able to go back to her hut before anyone noticed she was gone and then she could find another way out of there. She began her long swim back, which only got worse when it started to rain and the clouds covered the moon even more so.

Exhaustion engulfed her. The waves were strong and it was hard to keep afloat and swim. Her mind started to get hazy… was she going in the right direction? She couldn't be sure anymore, for it was too dark and the waves made her move too much. The coldness was making it hard for her to keep swimming and the efforts were making her eyes want to shut, each time she blinked it took longer for her to open her eyes again.

All she wanted was to lay in a warm bed and sleep… '_No!'_ She told herself. There was no way she'd be sleeping, that would be the end of her. She needed to get to land and quick!

By the time she finally reached the shore, the rain had stopped and the navy blue sky was a few shades lighter. She had spend hours in the ocean, trying to get back, the proof of it was the sky preparing for dawn.

Panting, she sat on the rocky beach, exhausted… Maybe she could still get a boat and sail back to Berk. Maybe she could still find a way out-

"Well, that was a long swim." A distinctive nasally voice caught her attention, making Astrid jump in surprise.

She couldn't believe she had swum all the way there just to be killed either way. She sighed defeated, looking at Hiccup and the Night Fury sitting on some rocks. He was holding his spyglass, making her wonder just how long was he standing there.

"You know, for a moment I thought we'd have to follow the ship, but when I saw you were thrown overboard, I was sure we'd have to go after you, but I was actually surprised at how tenacious you are. I though it would be better to see how long you'd go and you managed to go way further than I had anticipated…"

Despite every muscle be in pain from hours of effort, she stood up. "You better finish me off now, I'm not saying anything, Nuffink." She was a Viking, she was not going to yield and blurt out everything and maybe even endanger her own tribe in a cowardly attempt to have her life spared.

"Why would I do that? You just did us a big favor."

"What? What are you talking about?" Did he really understand what was going on?

"First, now we're sure the hunters knew our location, I had my suspicious, but they've never attacked and that must have be a reason for that. I was wondering what could that be and the best conclusion I got was that they needed numbers before they'd attack."

"Yes. So what? I gave it all to them." She embraced herself, trying to keep warm.

Her entire body was shaking and when he noticed it, he grabbed a small blanket he kept in a saddle compartment and gave it to her. She looked at the object suspiciously before she finally accepted, mostly because she was about to freeze. Hiccup wanted to light up a fire as well, but he wouldn't, just to guarantee the smoke wouldn't get unwanted attention.

"And that's also something great, Astrid."

She widened. "H-how do you know my name?"

"The night we met I've heard some hunters talking about a prisoner named Astrid, but we only found you instead. I didn't buy your Nadder story at all and you've just proved me I was right these past few days. Anyway, I wrote a note to my sister and she warned everyone in here before we arrived."

"Why didn't you buy it? Your sister did."

"She did, at first. She really wanted to believe you, but I think she'd see the truth once we talked more. You see, Astrid, you clearly didn't have a bond with that supposed dragon. That was clearer than daylight. You weren't scared for it, you didn't think of it and you hardly mentioned it. If any of us got separated from our dragons, we wouldn't stop until we'd find it. I'd die for Toothless and I'm sure he'd do the same for me."

Astrid didn't believe it; survival instinct would always speak louder. She scoffed. "Well, I could never imagine you'd love dragons that much…"

"Anyway, thanks to you, the hunters have wrong information about us and now I know at least the Hooligan Tribe from the Archipelago is working with the hunters, and I'm guessing that's how they managed to get so many dragons lately."

"Wrong information?"

"Exactly. Since we knew you were a spy, we set everything up to look like our numbers are lower and backup would take longer to arrive than we can actually get it. Clever, don't you think?" He gloated a little.

She was so tired it was hard to concentrate, thus, it took her a while to understand something he had said moments ago. "Wait, how do you know I come from Berk?"

Hiccup exchanged looks with Toothless. That part came out as a mistake, if he was being honest.

"Well, we have been keeping an eye on the islands of the archipelago and the only Astrid we know of was from Berk. Did I get it right?"

"Yes, you did…" There was no point in hiding it now. Lying could even make it worse for her. He really didn't seem to be willing to kill her now, but Astrid didn't know if it was just part of his plan.

"And I'm guessing Krogan threw you overboard so he can enrage Berk to fight alongside them, aren't I right?"

"You're smart, I'll give you that."

"Thank you, Milady." He smiled putting a hand over his heart.

"So what are you gonna do with me now that I've served your purpose?" She hated to admit it, but she was scared.

"We're gonna send you home as a sign of peace. Astrid, we don't want to fight you. Any of you. We don't even want to fight the hunters; we only do it to save the dragons. We want to live in peace. All we want from the tribes of the archipelago is not to join the hunters and not to kill dragons on sight. If you treat them right and don't mess with them, they'll mind their own business, you just never tried doing it."

"Tell that to the hundreds of Vikings they've killed."

"And you've killed thousands of them. They defended themselves, that's all. The Red Death bit we told you was true. They'd only raid you because the Queen forced them to do it. I could even show you her remains on Dragon Island if you want to."

"I'm not sure…" She crossed her arms. How could Vikings not fight dragons unless they've all been killed?

"We are peaceful. We don't want to fight you guys. Just give us a chance. I know that if a tribe as big and respected as the Hooligans get on their side, it'd be a matter of time before other tribes join in. We don't want bloodshed; we're trying our best to avoid it. Besides, do you really think you'll get something out of your partnership with the hunters? They won't pay anything. They want you as allies so they won't have to pay you at all."

"Of course they won't if you keep raiding them!"

"Astrid, we only get dragons from their ships. Well, except for you. You were the only thing with no-scales we took away from a ship." He said and she gulped. "So please, tell me what do you know about the hunters. How many tribes are helping them?"

Astrid looked down, her first instinct was to not answer, afraid she could end up putting Berk in danger, but she decided against it. Maybe if she cooperated enough, they'd spare her tribe? However, they indeed seemed like good people. He could be telling her the truth…

"I think all of them or almost all."

"Oh… Way more than I had hoped…"

"But after Berk hear about Krogan's betrayal to the heir, I think the Hooligans will be against the Hunters." Truth to be told, if he was really willing to take her back, the first thing she'd do was make Krogan pay for that… So it would be good for them if he kept his word.

Hiccup smiled as he noticed she was open to the idea of not dealing with hunters anymore. Then, something she said caught his attention.

"The heir? I didn't know you were the daughter of the chief… What was his name again? Stoick, I guess…" He pretended quite well, his curiosity rising. He didn't really think about who'd take his position once he had vanished until this moment.

"I'm not. Stoick lost his son a few years ago. He didn't want to marry again, so he had to choose someone to lead on."

Hiccup had to ignore how guilty he felt. He knew people of Berk thought he was dead, but knowing it for sure just made it worse. Did Stoick and Gobber miss him? Or did they forget about him?

"And he chose you." His voice came sadder than he had intended, it was the guilt's fault, clenching his heart in an uncomfortable way.

"Yes. So what? I can be the leader, you know! I'm a great fighter and smart enough. I'm plenty capable of leading." She misunderstood his sad tone.

"I know. You kind of remind me of our Queen in some ways. You both are fierce, strong and smart."

"Oh… Thanks." She was taken aback by how sincere he sounded, even though his face was definitely more serious than in the beginning of the conversation.

"Now, I can see you're tired. Let's go back to the village? I hope you won't mind that we'll have to lock you up for the time being. But don't worry, I'll personally deliver you safely back home." He turned around and guided the way back.

* * *

Hiccup let Toothless enter and closed the door of their house behind him. He had left Astrid back in her hut with three guards to keep an eye on her. He sighed.

"So, how did it go?" Valka asked. "I could have gone."

Hours later, a scout had woken them up as they were told to do, after all, they were observing her from day one, just waiting to see how she planned to go back home if it was clear she didn't have a bond with any dragon.

"No, it's okay. Toothless is more difficult to see at night if I needed to follow them and if I got to talk to her, I'm the one who knew her the best, so I'd know if she was lying. "

"But are you okay, brother?" Heather stopped by his side. "You look so sad… Was it that bad?"

"More or less. There are way more tribes working for the hunters than I thought. The good news is that I think she'll be willing to convince Berk to stop working with them since she was betrayed and thrown overboard… I'll explain more later, and to Mala as well."

"Okay… But what's wrong?" Heather insisted.

"I just… Some things she said made me wonder about people of Berk. I didn't realize I missed them so much…" He shrugged. "It doesn't matter now. I just need to take her back and hope they'd at least not be on the hunters side after that…"

"Indeed, if they're just out of the way, things will be easier…" Valka said.

"You know, if you don't want to go back there, I can take her." Heather volunteered.

"Thanks, but I know a nice spot to land… Besides, Toothless is the best dragon to sneak in at night."

* * *

**I hope all of you are having a great day! **

**What are your thought on the chap? Please don't forget to live me a review on your way out! **

**Next chap is coming on Wednesday! **


	14. Chapter 14

**I've got another chap for you! Hope you'll all enjoy and please don't forget to review! **

**HiyuuJin: Awww, wonderful and spectacular chapter! You just made my day like that! Thanks so much! And yeah, maybe she's gonna thought about Hiccup, hehehe **

**CB73: Yep, they're not trustworthy indeed! Yeah, their spying turned off to have a nice outcome for them, I think it was quite a smart move for Hiccup, don't you think? Btw, I'm sorry for Astrid, though, she really didn't see that coming... Interesting questions and they shall be answered soon! I hope you'll like it and thanks so much for your wonderful reviews! :D **

**Calvin: Soon! In fact, it's gonna be next chap (if I'm not mistaken), but the other question I can't answer for now, it' be spoilers. **

**Angryhenry: Thanks! **

**CHSHiccstrid: Yes, a betrayal! hehehe, love those! (In fiction, of course, lol). And sorry, can't spoil, so you gotta read to find out! I hope you like the chap! **

**Silvolde: She's on her way to do that.. but it's not only up to her, it's up to all Berk to work with the riders... Thanks for reviewing! **

**Now, on with the chap! :D **

* * *

_Shadow and Silver_

_Chapter 14_

Astrid was clearly bothered by the guards lurking around everywhere she'd go, but she knew it was only fair. She was glad she was still alive, but still thought they could turn on her at any minute.

"Don't worry, Astrid, we're finally going back right about now." He told her as he finished packing Toothless's saddle with some food.

"That's great." She sighed in relief. That was when a Nadder came closer and nudged her; Astrid contained a yelp and Hiccup laughed. It was the blue Nadder Astrid had helped him to take the stiches out.

"Isn't that cute? She came to say goodbye. She's also living soon."

"To the Sanctuary?" Astrid asked, trying to pet her and push her away at the same time.

"Of course." He mounted and then extended a hand to her. "Shall we go?"

She took in a deep breath before she accepted his hand and sat behind him. Toothless took off the next second.

They flew for hours. They left in the middle of the afternoon, so when they finally arrived, it was in the middle of the night and the moon was shinning lonely in the sky.

On the horizon, Astrid could finally see the familiar shape of the island of Berk and relief hit her like a wave.

"Why don't we take the scenic route?" He smiled and stirred the tailfin.

It was very late, so there weren't many lights on the village, but she could see the houses perfectly and a smile spread across her face. Astrid didn't notice she was leaning in on him, embracing his waist now in a relaxed way. If by any chance he flew all this way just to kill her, at least she'd have seen a beautiful view that no other Berkian had the pleasure to see.

"I bet no one else could see the village from this angle, aren't I right?" He said almost as if he could read her mind.

"Yes… It's beautiful. And you were right about the dusk lighting when we were flying… now I wish I could see my home with during that time of the day."

"Unfortunately, I'm afraid we might get shot, then. People would easily see us."

"Yeah…" She mumbled sadly.

Hiccup looked at the place that had been his home for so long, feeling the weight of the guilt crushing him. He had missed this place, and only now that he was there was when the feeling hit him. He let out a heavy sigh.

"I hope you do realize, Astrid, that we don't want to fight you guys. I'm not asking you to join us or be our allies or even accept dragons, I know that's just a step too far, but just… don't join the hunters." He said as they turned around, looking for the cove until they descended there.

That place was great for landing, it was far but not that much from the village, secluded and hidden from view, however, Astrid couldn't help but notice the irony of his choosing landing spot. The remembrance made her heart heavy as she hopped off the saddle.

"I understand, but… how could people go on? Dragons killed many of us. The raids might have stopped, yet we still remember the nightmare it was each time it occurred. Dragons have killed so many people, how can we ever forget it?"

"You don't, Astrid. You need to find strength to forgive, not forget. Once you can do it, you can move on."

She scoffed. "That would be even more implausible."

"That's why the bloodshed won't stop so soon." He slid off the saddle.

"It's not easy, you know…"

"I do know."

"No, you don't. You were raised in a place where humans and dragons have found peace, so you don't know how it feels like to see people you know and care about dying in raids."

"Believe me, I understand it pretty well, but I've forgiven the dragons, especially because I know it was not their fault. Once you do it, the dragons will forgive you, too."

"Yeah, well, I can't tell that to my chief." She put her hands on her hips. "He lost the most important people for him because of dragons. I didn't know him before he lost his wife since I was just a baby, but he's changed since he lost his son."

"Come again?"

"You know, his son. The Hiccup I told you about who is your spitting image… He died here, actually. Or he was taken here, after all, we never saw blood, but he was most likely taken to that Red Death you mentioned… Stoick would never forgive the dragons for that; I know it."

"Really? Here?" he didn't know they knew about the cove. He gulped and just couldn't resist the urge to ask more. "I've heard he didn't really… care for his son?"

"What? No!" She crossed her arms. "I mean, Hiccup was kinda weird and non-Viking like, he was clumsy and sometimes could make even more damage than the dragons, but I know Stoick loved him anyway. He was devastated when Hiccup died… Always with a bad temper, especially when someone would say something against Hiccup. Now he often has his eyes lost in the horizon, and everyone knows who's in his mind… Oh, and there was this time Gobber had to drag him from the Great Hall back to his house because Stoick couldn't stop drinking at the first anniversary of his son's death…" There was a lump in Hiccup's throat. She sighed and continued. "Come to think of it, I can't even tell him that I was brought here by a Night Fury."

He could barely hear her over his racing heart. Of course he knew Stoick loved him, but never imagined his supposed death would impact him that much. Toothless purred, nudging his hand softly, sensing his friend needed support.

His voice trembled a bit when he asked. "Why not?"

"We think the dragon who killed him was Night Fury because we thought lots of black scales around here…" Her voice trailed off as her attention went straight to Toothless. "And this is the only one we know of or that we've seen since then…"

"He didn't kill him." Hiccup noticed her unspoken question.

"How could you be so sure?"

"Because he's with me pretty much every time since we met."

"What if he did it before then? He is the only Night Fury we've ever heard about. I'm not out to avenge him or anything, but isn't he the only one left?"

"The Night Fury that killed Hiccup could have been eaten by the Red Death." He raised his hands in a stop sign. "Look, I've been with Toothless for over six years. When did he die?"

"About five years ago… maybe five and a half."

Hiccup smiled; of course he knew the answer. "See? So it couldn't have been Toothless." Maybe that was cutting in too close in the year numbers, but he just went with it anyway.

"I guess so..."

"Well, I think we'd better go rest on Dragon Island now." He looked up pretending to guess the time, though it was a desperate attempt to hide his watery eyes.

"Should you really be telling me this? You know, sometimes you let out too much…" She smiled at him as she crossed her arms. She wasn't going to do anything against him, but he could be a bit naïve sometimes.

"Astrid, please, by the time you head back to the village, wake up everyone, prepare the ships and sail there, we'll be half-way home. There are many advantages in living in peace with dragons and hopping from island to island is just one of them."

"So it wasn't unintentional after all." She chuckled.

"As you said so yourself, I'm smart." He mounted again. " See you around, Astrid."

"Bye, Nuffink."

Luckily, it was too dark for Astrid to see his eyes were so wet now he had tears streaming down his face. He wanted to ask more, know how Stoick and Gobber had been holding on after so long, but he couldn't. It would give away too much and he didn't know if he wanted Berk to know their heir was actually alive this whole time. He needed to think about it.

She watched Toothless take off and disappear against the night sky before she headed back home. Hiccup and Toothless rested for a few hours on Dragon Island, coming straight back home at top speed as soon as the dragon was ready.

* * *

Astrid decided to wait at the cove and then have a nice stroll back to the village, giving time to wake her parents and Stoick after dawn. Once she got to speak with them, she told everything that happened, especially Krogan's betrayal, which made Stoick fume in anger. He was grateful that she was safe and sound, though he wouldn't be willing to talk to the 'dragon lovers'.

After a rough morning having a bunch of people ask her all sorts of questions, she was glad to finally sit down at a table in the Great Hall and eat. The best part was that she was alone, mostly because she glared at anyone who'd dare come near. That and Snotlout was busy somewhere else, because he'd definitely ignore her death glare.

She was sure no one else would ignore her will to be alone. She was proven wrong when Fishlegs sat in front of her, putting his mug and plate of food down.

"Hi, Astrid… How are you?"

She scowled at him. "I'm perfectly fine…"

"I just wanted to say that I know you won the 'competition' to be the chief and I'm happy for you."

She scoffed. "If you're searching for something out of it, you might as well forget it."

"What?"

"You heard me."

He sighed in defeat. "You know what your problem is, Astrid? You think you're better than anyone else. But you're not. I actually only came here because you were alone and that reminded me of Hiccup. I let him sit alone for along while before he was killed and I can't change that, but I told myself I was not gonna let anyone sitting alone like he used to." He stood up. "However, I see that you don't want company."

He grabbed his plate and mug.

"Look, I just fought really hard to get his position! I've risked my life for this tribe. No one is more committed to it than I am!"

"I know. You deserved it. In fact, I only decided to try and be the chief because I knew Stoick was thinking about choosing Snotlout at first and I was afraid we'd starve in the first winter. I know you are more capable than that and I'm glad the village will be in good hands." He started to walk away and his voice got more serious. "But no matter what you think, Astrid, you can't do everything by yourself, you can't be a leader if you're always by yourself."

His words hit her harder than she expected. Astrid wanted to be a good leader just like Stoick, but did she really want to be exactly like him and end up completely alone in an empty house?

Then she remembered Stoick saying she should have friends that she could count on when she was a leader, people to help her not only to lead, but also for her to turn to for guide and council. The chief had specifically told her Fishlegs would be good, he recognized the potential in him.

Her mind quickly shifted to her time at the Defenders of The Wing, when she was watching how Nuffink lead people so well because he had recognized the potential in each one and then he managed them so well that they just followed him even if he didn't have any sort of leader-y tittle. Nuffink had their respect and he didn't need a tittle for that. She didn't want to need it either. She didn't want respect just because she was now the heir. She had always been so concerned in proving herself all the time that she'd forgotten to see that everyone was good at something.

She stood up. "Fishlegs, wait."

He turned towards her really surprised. He kind of regretted his words, for he was sure she'd want to kill him, so why was she calling out for him in a nearly soft voice?

"Please, sit." He reluctantly came back in silence. Once he was sitting on the same spot again, she continued. "You're right. I'm just a little stressed, that's all."

"It's okay… I think I've said too much anyway…"

"But what you said made sense. I can't lead anything if I'm by myself. Anyway, speaking of Hiccup… you were his friend, right?"

He sighed, sadly. "I like to consider myself as such, but I'm not sure if I was… You see, when I told you about not letting people sit alone anymore, it was because we used to be good friends, until we started growing up and people started mocking him and he did all those crazy stuff during raids that helped the dragons more than us… So I didn't want to be a target for mockery too, so I cowardly abandoned him. And then, when he died, I realized that I regretted doing that and could never take that back… And I think that if I had been a better friend, Hiccup wouldn't be alone in the woods when that dragon took him. That's why I don't think I was really his friend in the end…"

"I sort of understand it. I never paid too much attention on him, though I always admired that even though he always failed, he still strived to improve."

"But why are we talking about him?"

"It's because of a guy I met in my 'mission'… He looks so much like Hiccup… But first, I need to tell you everything that happened while I was away."

Astrid told a summary with a little more details, since she was avoiding talking too much about the Night Fury near Stoick; she knew it was a difficult subject for him. When they finished eating, she asked Fishlegs to go for a walk in the woods so she could continue. Astrid didn't want anyone else to listen to her suspicious, she was only telling Fishlegs because he might be able to help her somehow.

"So this Nuffink guy is just like Hiccup?"

"Yes. But not like when we last saw him; he's around our age."

"Same as Hiccup would be."

"Yes…"

"So you think this guy could be him?"

"I though so for a bit, but… he can't be. He was raised there. His appearance is a coincidence. I just can't shake this nagging feeling inside, like I'm missing something. Maybe you could help me put it aside since you knew Hiccup better than I did."

"How so?" He shrugged and then moved a branch out of the way as they passed.

Astrid grabbed an elbow. "I don't know…"

"So, he seems like Hiccup. Any other similarities?"

She bit her lower lip. "Well, his voice was similar to his. He was very sarcastic, too…"

"That doesn't say much."

"I know… And well, Hiccup wanted to kill dragons, right?"

"I think that was what he wanted the most."

"Well, Nuffink only wanted to save them… Perhaps I'm being too silly. There's no way this guy could be Hiccup… And I mean, not only his attitude was polar opposite, but his eyes were different too and it's not like we could change that. Nuffink has grass-green eyes and Hiccup's were blue…"

"Uh… No." Fishlegs raised an eyebrow. Astrid froze for a moment and then turned to face him.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm pretty sure Hiccup's eyes were grass-green."

"Are you sure? I remember him with his eyes kinda like Stoick's… You know, something between light green with a hint of blue and bluish green…"

"Nope."

Astrid went pale. "Either way, he can't be Hiccup. He was raised there."

"They could be lying about that. They lied about other things, too."

"Yes, but they also told me some truthful things… And he had a mother and a sister that looked like him. There was no denying they were kinfolk."

"So what? They could have adopted him or something. Maybe they went along so well they decided to be a family and they just happened to look like each other."

"So what are you saying? That Nuffink is actually Hiccup?" She chuckled nervously. He couldn't be. She refused to believe she had been so blind to that.

"I'm not saying anything, I've never met him. I'm just throwing possibilities around here. It's kind of a game I play."

"We're talking something serious and you're thinking about games?" Astrid was about to regret telling him all of that. She couldn't rely on anyone but herself.

"It's a serious game. A tactic I use when I play Maces and Talons. That's why I'm so good at it. Which, by the way, is not only a game chiefs use to test the heirs abilities on battlefields, it's also a game Stoick appreciates." He raised his index finger while he explained.

"Okay, what's this 'tactic'?" She face-palmed and then looked at him.

"It's the 'if game', to try and think about all the possibilities. Your view has been always kinda limited, don't get me wrong, but it's true. You always stick to what seems to be obvious. You see things in a practical way. That's why you're not so good at Maces and Talons."

"So…?"

"I'm not saying that he is, but let's think about it. What _if_ Nuffink is Hiccup?"

"I… I don't know…" She stuttered. "That could make sense. He knew where I was from, which is not very surprising if you live around the archipelago, but he said he was raised there… So how could he know so much? How could he know exactly where Berk was? I mean, he probably saw it on maps and all, but did he really memorized it like that?"

"Well, it is possible, too. And anyway, he had come near if he's been to Dragon Island."

"You want me to think that he's Hiccup or not?" She frowned at him.

"I want you to behold all the possibilities, Astrid. He can be Hiccup, but he could be someone totally different." Fishlegs shrugged.

"Well, he was very confident. Hiccup was not like that at all…"

"That could change over time."

"I guess, but that much? I don't know…"

"You know, maybe you should try to talk about Hiccup with the person that knew him the most. If you know more about Hiccup, maybe you'll be able to get to the bottom of it."

"Who would that be?"

"Isn't it obvious? The person that spend most time with him, the person that taught him everything he knew: Gobber."

"You're right… Maybe I should talk to him. Besides, my axe needs some sharpening, so I have the perfect excuse to go in there."

* * *

**I really like Fishlegs character and I'm happy that I got the opportunity to make him shine in this chap, but what do you think of it? And what do you think of the farewell scene between Astrid and Hiccup/Nuffink? Please tell me your thoughts on it in a review, I'd love to read them! :D **


	15. Chapter 15

**There's official HTTYD News! **

**At Annecy, Dean Deblois confirmed that we're gonna have a short at the end of the year (possibly a Snoggletog one, since it'll probably be around Christmas). Zephyr and Nuffink's age were also confirmed to be 8 and 5, respectively. And Hiccup and Astrid were supposed to dance at the wedding, however, there wasn't time left, so they had to cut it, which only made me wanna ask why haven't they included that in a post-credit scene or at the credits… I would totally try to make that work if I was working there, lol. Or maybe they could have divided this movie in two, I'd also love that, hehehe**

* * *

**OMT, guys! Thank you all soooooooo much for that many reviews! I'm so close to 100 and I'm so happy with it! Now do you think we can get it to 110 by next chap? :D **

**Answering your reviews:**

**HiyuuJin: You're always so kind and sweet! Thank you so much for your amazing support! I'm glad you like the story and the cliffhangers! And don't worry, the revelation is coming in this chap! Enjoy the reading! **

**JChttyd: Yes they are and thanks for reviewing! **

**Silvolde: Indeed she is! Thanks for reviewing so much and I hope you'll enjoy this chap! **

**CB73: Indeed he almost blew it up, but managed to save it at the last minute and of course, it was very important for him to know what had happened to Stoick during his ****absence... And yeah, the puzzle pieces are still disconnected, but it's about to change! I'm always happy with your wonderful reviews and enjoy the new chap! :D **

**Dinochickrox: I'm glad to know you're liking it! And yes, the review is very close! Btw, I think I saw a username similar to yours on insta, was that you? **

**CHSHiccstird: Thank you so much for making my day with your review! And I agree, Fishlegs never gets enough attention and I don't know why because I think he's such an interesting character... And loved the questions, but can't answer them right now... I hope you enjoy the chap! **

**fs440: Thank you for your compliments! indeed I think his voice would have been a bit off, but I guess I didn't think this detail earlier, so I didn't add it, but nice thinking! I'm glad you liked it either way! :D **

**HTTYDfanatic: Thank you so much! And Astrid is gonna figure it out so very soon! :D **

**I have an important announcement at the end, please read it! Now on with the chap!**

* * *

_Shadow and Silver_

_Chapter 15_

"Good afternoon, Gobber." Astrid waved at the smith's door.

"Hey, what brings the lass to my shop today?"

Gustav cut off and grabbed her hand. "It's probably me."

She quickly pulled her hand back and held her axe with tight grips. "No. I need to sharpen my axe." She turned to Gobber. "If you don't mind."

"Not at all. Gustav, why don't you take that sword back to Sven, will you?"

The young man grunted, but complied, taking the weapon away. The girl sighed. "Thanks, Gobber. It's really a relief not to have him drooling on me…"

"I thought so." He chuckled and grabbed the weapon from her. He started to work.

Astrid leaned on the wall, observing him. "So… I also wanted to talk to you about something else…"

"What does the new heir want to know?"

"I was wondering… what was Hiccup like?"

He stopped to look at her. He kept silent for a moment, and then he resumed work.

"Why do you want to know about him, Lass?" His voice had suddenly lost all the cheerfulness. Astrid looked down, avoiding his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to… I just… Someone reminded me of him and now I'm sort of taking his place and I only wanted to know a little bit about him, is all."

She noticed the dagger Nuffink had given her; it was still tucked away in her right boot. She had forgotten to give it back to him and he had forgotten to ask it back. Her hands reached for the object to look at it closer while listening to the old man.

"He was a good lad. He worked a lot…" He chuckled sadly. "Always with crazy ideas in his mind, but he used to give everything at work. In fact, this axe was made by him."

"What?"

"Your father ordered an axe for your fifteenth birthday and Hiccup asked me, well, more like begged me…" He managed to laugh, but just a little "… to do it. I told him he could, but it had to be a really good one. And he crafted one of the best axes I've seen." He finished sharpening both sides and examined if it as good enough.

"I-I didn't know…"

"Yep. I think not even your father knows he was the one to make it. And you've kept it well preserved, even though you use it a lot." His fingers touched the center of her axe where there were details sculpted on the blade. "This kind of thing here, that's definitely his doing. He wanted to make it pretty for you. The handle, he also selected nice wood and decorated it, see?" He showed her, even though she knew all the details about her axe.

"Yes…"

His smile was sad and his voice showed how much he missed his old apprentice. "Everything was well thought out… He had such an attention to detail…"

Astrid remembered Heather saying the exact same thing about her brother. The dagger slipped through her hands and Astrid quickly retrieved it from the floor.

"What is that?"

"Just a 'souvenir' I got from the people of the Defenders of the Wing…"

"May I?" He asked giving her the axe back, she grabbed it and put the dagger on his now free hand. "Really fine work. Simple, practical and well balanced. Perfect to throw and well sharpened. Hiccup's work would probably be at this level if he was still alive."

Astrid's heart felt as if it could stop in shock. He gave the dagger back to her.

"Thanks for the sharpening, how much do I own you?"

"It's on the house this time. A gift for the new heir."

"Thanks, Gobber…" he turned around to leave, but stopped before she walked through the door. She remembered one more thing about Nuffink, he did most things with the left hand, like when he was eating or taking the stiches out of the Nadder. "By the way, one more thing… Was Hiccup left handed?"

"Oh, yeah. It was kinda funny to see him working with the left… Why?"

"I just though I remember him using the left." She said as she waved goodbye. Gobber shrugged it off and continued his work.

* * *

Astrid was upset; no, she was madly furious at herself. She threw her axe so strongly it entered deep inside a tree trunk.

"I can't believe it!" Her raging yell scared some birds away.

"Astrid, calm down." Fishlegs told her. They were both back to the woods, and it was a good thing they were far away from the village, because Astrid was so angry she couldn't stop yelling.

"I can't! Gods, I was _so_ stupid!" She extracted the axe from the tree. "I've spend _days_ there and I haven't realized it was _Hiccup_ all along! How _stupid_ can I be?" She took in a deep breath, clenching the axe's handle. "I need to tell Stoick."

Astrid turned around back to the village, but Fishlegs grabbed her arm.

"Wait a minute. You can't just go on and talk to him like that."

"Why not? He needs to know his son is still alive!"

"Astrid, you don't know for sure he's Hiccup! What if you're wrong and he's not? You'd just raise Stoick's hope for nothing."

"He'd be devastated again…" She sighed. Only then it occurred to her the implications of him being the real heir. She'd lose the position she had just conquered.

"Exactly."

Even afraid for losing the new position, she couldn't help but want to do the right thing. It wasn't fair to leave a father in the dark about his son being alive this whole time. "But it is Hiccup."

"I'm not sure, after all, you haven't realized after spending days with him." He finished gulping at her death glare towards him.

"It _has_ to be him! There are just too many coincidences!" She began listing on her fingers. "They're both left handed, they have attention to details and they're blacksmiths, or so Heather told me her 'brother' was the one to make her very weird axe that could very well be one of Hiccup's crazy inventions, which both do that… Both are similar with distinctive nasally voice… Oh, and there was this time I think someone called him 'Hic', but stopped midway. 'Nuffink' landed exactly on the spot Hiccup was 'taken' and he didn't even seem to search for a nice place to land; I should have realized it then and there! Both had something to do with a Night Fury, which could very well be the same, but we just interpreted what happened in a different way. Face it, Fishlegs. I was stupid not to notice these two were actually one person."

"Maybe. As I said, it's possible or even highly likely that he's Hiccup. But what if he's not? And what difference would it make anyway? It's not like we can talk to him, we don't know where their island is."

"Yeah… I guess…"

"Look, let's just think for a moment, okay? Krogan will probably arrive in a few days, we still need to figure out what we're gonna do about him. For now, let's hold on to this highly likely correct information and wait for the right moment to use it. Besides, since we can't prove or contact him for now, it'd would only make Stoick anxious for nothing."

"Shit, you're right…" She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Damn, you're really good in these intrigue games… How do you do that?"

"Years of practice. Now let's go back to the village, it's getting late, anyway."

* * *

"_Your son is alive!" _

That was the sentence that couldn't leave Astrid's mind when she was summoned to talk with Stoick in his house. She wanted so much to tell him the truth! But she couldn't. At least not yet… It was not only the fact that it could be a coincidence and she could be mistaken…

Even though she was sure now that the Night Fury Rider was Hiccup. The problem was also that she could not prove it and she didn't have a way to contact him. It would be for nothing if she told Stoick Hiccup was alive but couldn't make them meet.

"So you wanted to see me?" She asked once he opened his door, ignoring the urge to tell him what she had just found out.

"Yes. I want to know more about the dragon lovers…"

She gulped, but faked a smile as best as she could as she entered the chief's house. He motioned the chair as an invitation and she sat there. Stoick put two mugs of mead on the table before he sat down in front of her.

"So… Tell me what you found out about them."

"What do you mean, sir? I already told you everything that was relevant."

"I know, but you did with all the council, now, I want to know details about those people…"

"Well… I… I don't know what to say…" She wondered if he knew or at least suspected the truth… but he couldn't know.

"Tell me about the Night Fury rider. Who is he?"

She drank from the mead to try and calm her nerves, but just a little of it.

"Well… He was very nice and gentle… Smart and resourceful. People liked him very much… He was a good and kind-hearted leader. Even though he didn't have a title, people followed him… He's the kind of person that you'd be proud of." It was the closest she could say from the truth. And when he frowned angrily, she was sure he had no clue the Night Fury Rider's identity. Then she quickly added. "If it weren't for the dragons, of course…"

"Of course…" He nearly spat, but instead he only looked away and drank from his mug. Astrid didn't want him to feel so angry at Hiccup, even though she was furious at the boy. Well, he was a man now…

"I know it seems impossible, but they live in peace with dragons. And they're good… They're nothing like what we had thought of them. They can be trusted, proof is that Nuffink brought me here and they all treated me very well even though they knew I was a spy all along."

Stoick scoffed.

"Of course he did. He wants us on his side. They wanted you to think like that."

"No, sir. I wasn't fooled or anything like that. I can assure you they're good people. And they don't want to fight us. They don't want conflict, especially Nuffink, the Night Fury rider." She added the last part because she could feel his hatred towards him, probably only because of the Night Fury…

Stoick narrowed his eyes and stroke his beard for a couple of seconds as he thought on what she had said.

"You speak of him very… tenderly." He leaned forward. "Tell me, Astrid, during your time there, have you developed feelings for this rider and his people?"

"What? No, sir! I swear that's not it. I barely know him. How could I love a person I don't know?" She didn't know him to the point she didn't recognize him even though they had lived on the same island for fifteen years. That was not her feeling at all. "I just admire him." _And I don't want you to hate your own son, _she mentally added. "He's very skilled and as I said, people follow him. I want to be respected like that here on Berk. My allegiance is with Berk."

"I know, Astrid, and it needs to be. As a leader, you have to do what's best for the people. Always." He said seriously and she nodded in acknowledgment. "This is your most important lesson as an heir."

"I understand, sir."

"Well, I think I have everything I need to know. You may go back to your home. Rest, for we will continue your lessons in the morning."

"Alright. Good night." She took another sip of the mead and stood up. As she walked away, she remembered one more thing and turned to ask. "Oh, and one more thing… what about Krogan? He's probably going to arrive soon."

"I suppose so. I'll see what his speech will be and if he will spill any valuable information, but he'll leave this island knowing that you're safe and sound and he'll not fool Berk any longer… But when they arrive, I want you to stay hidden."

"Yes, sir." Then, she left the house.

Stoick was alone once again. Looking down at his half-empty mug of mead, he sighed. The fire cracking was the only sound in the empty house. He thought by now he'd be used to this lonely place, but he could never be.

* * *

**Author's Note: By the way, her axe in here would be a little different than hers in the movies because of that. If you notice the one sided axe Hiccup receives from Stoick, the blade was sculpted with some twirling drawings, it was pretty, so in this universe, Hiccup made her an axe with the same shape of the one she uses in the movie, but with sculpted drawings kinda like the one he uses.**

**Grimmel is showing up on the next chap! I figured it would be too long to put him on this one... **

**Important Announcement: I usually post on Sundays, however, I'm going to travel this weekend, so I won't have time to post, unfortunately... Please don't be mad at me, but I'll return with the next chap on Wednesday! Btw, this is probably the middle of the story now! :O**

**Although I'm not posting for the weekend, I posted another chap for "When You Least Expect" and later today I'll post a one-shot named "The First and the Last", which I wrote for an instagram contest.**

**Please tell me what do you think of Astrid finally figuring out who "Nuffink" is! I'd love to know your thoughts! And what do you think of her talk with Gobber, Fishlegs and then Stoick? Which one was your favorite? **


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey, guys, I'm back! Sorry it took me so long, but as I said last chap, I was traveling this weekend. I went to a Dreamworks Animation exhibition here in Brazil and it was amazing! I was so happy that there were so many HTTYD things to see there! I posted a few pics in my instagram and I might post some more, so if you're interested, my user name is author . marilia. **

**Thank you all so much who reviewed, I was so happy with your comments! **

**Silvolde: Yes, finally she did! But come on, be fair with Astrid, she only met "Nuffink"in chap 7 or 8, lol. And in here, Grimmel has different motivations to fit the story, so no one will be begging for his help like in the movie, however, you'll only find out why in later ****chapters. **

**CHSHiccstrid: ****tysm! And nice to know Stoick's conversation was your favorite, indeed it was hard to write, but I liked the end result! hehehe. I figured you knew you wouldn't get the answers, yet, but I mention them because I don't want to seem as if I've ignored them, anyway, I love to read your questions about what's going to happen! **

**Guest: Yes, she finally figured it out! It was about time! And yeah, probably the middle already, I'm planning to end it in chap 30, but let's see if I can follow the plan... **

**CB73: Exactly! She never really paid attention to Hiccup, but that's finally about to change! And yeah, neither did Stoick, or he might have gotten what Astrid wanted to tell him so much, after all, when she was praising Hiccup, part of her wanted Stoick to notice that she was talking about his son. I'm glad you're enjoying the story, thanks so much for your reviews! :D **

**HiyuuJin: I'm so happy with your compliments, think you so much! And yeah, it was so cute to write that part Astrid was talking about Hiccup! hehehe. I'm glad to know this story is worth the wait, but here is the new chap, enjoy the reading! **

**Dinochickrox: Thank you so much! And nice to know I've seen you on insta! :D **

**Sup8pdct: Thanks! I'm glad you found it refreshing, I really wanted to do something new with this story! btw, I also struggle writing a birthday card, lol. **

**Enjoy the new chap! :D **

* * *

_Shadow and Silver _

_Chapter 16_

Stoick clenched his fists as he watched the Hunter's ship docking at his harbor. He would see what excuse they had and send them away as fast as he could, he didn't want those liars on his shores any moment more than necessary. Of course, the whole village had been warned and everyone had weapons close enough, ready to attack if a battle broke out.

Instead of inviting Krogan to his island, he interrogated him at the harbor as soon as the man left the ship.

"So, where's Astrid?" Stoick asked when Krogan got close enough. The hunter made the saddest face he could fake.

"She's gone… I'm so sorry…"

Stoick sighed in a mix of angry and sadness. He needed to pretend as best as he could or his plan would go down the drain.

"How? And was it at least worth something?"

"Oh, it was." Another voice came in, from an older and slim man dressed in black, walking towards them. "My partner Krogan told me some valuable things he found out, isn't it right?"

"Who are you?" Stoick asked, but Krogan rolled his eyes and answered.

"We work for the same person."

"But we don't work together." The older man quickly added. "I was only hired by his boss to get rid of the enemy because he couldn't do it." He shrugged. "In fact, I was only in his ship because I met him halfway."

"Anyway…" Krogan glared at him. "Astrid told me their numbers and other week spots before she died."

"And how that happened?"

"Poison. When I picked her up, she told me everything, but she had already been poisoned by those dragon lovers. They were probably on to her… She hadn't realized it then, but when we reached the ship, she started feeling sick and eventually, she passed… It was a tragedy." He put a hand over his chest, his voice getting the saddest tone he could make, but it was still very fake for Stoick and the fact only enraged the Hooligan.

"What kind of poison?" Stoick asked, his anger showed in his voice, however, Krogan had no idea of the real reason, he only thought he would want to avenge the deceased heir.

"Probably Slitherwing poison diluted in water, maybe mixed with food so she wouldn't notice. It can take several hours for it to take an effect in these circumstances…"

"I see…" Stoick then turned to the man in black. "And who are you, by the way?"

"Oh, sorry about my manners…" He answered in an exaggerated way. "My name is Grimmel, the Night Furies Slayer, and if I'm correct, I presume you wanted to talk to me, didn't you?"

The Hooligan Chief was surprised and slightly taken aback. He glanced at Krogan for a moment, he couldn't really send away the traitor hunter, nor tell him he actually had Astrid safe and sound… Not when both of them sort of worked together.

But then again… Grimmel was the Night Fury hunter. The man who tracked down and killed almost all of the Night Furies, except the one who took away his son. He needed to avenge Hiccup. How could he face his son and wife in Valhalla if he hadn't done everything he could to avenge his family? He had tired to get the Night Fury before, but couldn't. Grimmel could and possibly he was the only option he had to accomplish his wish.

With a new decision in mind, he turned to Grimmel again.

"Yes. I did, actually." He smiled. "I want to capture the Night Fury."

"Well, that's lucky for us." Krogan interrupted. "To capture that boy is our goal as well. Perhaps we could make an arrangement..."

Stoick knew it would not be a good idea to work with a traitor like him; however, he wanted Grimmel's services if he wanted to accomplish his heart's biggest desire.

"Maybe we can, _if_ it means I'll get my hands on that dragon." He crossed his arms.

"I guess anything is possible with the right price." Grimmel smiled.

"I understand…" Stoick nods. "But first, how can we capture them? I bet they're not that easy, otherwise, you'd have done it already." He finished looking at Krogan.

"Indeed, they have really good stealth abilities and they can be very slippery." The dragon hunter sneered.

"Yes, Krogan told me about his failures before… That's why I was hired by his boss, to get rid of the their enemies." Grimmel shrugged. "I want to lure them into a trap, make them lower their guards. I just need to know a little more about them to set the perfect trap."

"Well, maybe we could arrange a meeting?" Stoick suggested.

"How? He knows the Hooligans are against dragons, right?"

Stoick massage his beard for a moment as he wondered. "I have reasons to believe he'd take the bait. The thing is, how could we deliver a message to him?"

"Do you still have dragons?" Grimmel asked. "We could hide in a letter on one of those dragons and when they raided the ship…"

"They'd see it." Stoick followed his train of thought.

"It's possible, most of us don't really pay attention to those beasts anyway. They'd believe a letter was undetected." Krogan said and then looked at Stoick, wondering how could the dragon lovers take the bait, after all, they weren't so stupid. "But… what kind of reason could that be?"

"Only a few things I've been hearing. Apparently, they say they don't want to fight. Their wish is to protect the dragons, so they don't really have anything against us, and truth to be told, they haven't attacked us, yet." He raised a finger as if to make clear the statement.

Stoick believed they'd turn on the Archipelago once the threat with the hunters was finished. Everything he said was true to him, he just didn't say who leaked the information. Either way, Krogan bought it.

"Very well, then. Go write this letter and bring us the dragons." Grimmel said, meeting his hands on his back casually. "Now where could we set this trap…"

"What about Dragon Island?" Stoick suggested. "It's a small, deserted island. We couldn't get there some time ago, but most of the sea stacks that surrounded it had fallen and now we can.

"Seems good enough." He agreed. The Hooligan chief nodded and left the harbor.

Stoick surprised Fishlegs when he ordered him to prepare the dragons they have to give to the hunters. Even though the young man couldn't understand the reason of this, he complied anyway. The chief quickly wrote the letter and strapped it on a Nadder's horn in a concealing way; a person would only see it if given enough attention to the dragon. Now they just hoped the dragon protectors would see it.

A few hours later, the hunter's ship left and so did Grimmel, but they didn't go together; the Night Fury Slayer flew away for Stoick's surprise. He wondered how that slim man could control deadly dragons like that; he could only be a really powerful and resourceful man… But Stoick was sure those creatures would eventually turn on him, after all, that was their nature and dragons couldn't be trustworthy.

Spitelout walked by, he was about to ask Stoick what had just happened, since he thought the chief would kick their butts away, not give them more dragons. Stoick didn't give him the time to ask, though.

"Ready the Peregrine Falcon and gather the best men. We're leaving at dusk."

"To where?"

"I'll explain on the way. But we'll be free from this dragon scourge once and for all." He left the harbor once again, going to the forge this time.

Gustav had just left the forge and waved as he passed by his chief and Stoick was glad that he'd have a private conversation with the blacksmith. Gobber was sharpening a new sword when the chief entered.

"So, how did it go?" He glanced at the entrance, but continued working. "I wished I saw Krogan's face when you told him about Astrid…"

"I didn't tell him."

Gobber stopped to look at his old friend. "What? Why not?"

"Something's changed. Grimmel was with them."

"That Night Fury slayer Johan was talking about a while ago?" Gobber put away the sword.

"Yes, him." He nodded. "I've sent him a letter through Johan, but anyway, Grimmel and the hunters are working for the same man. The thing is, we're setting a trap for the Night Fury rider."

"Stoick…" The blacksmith sighed. "I know you want to avenge Hiccup, but he's gone and he brought Astrid back safe and sound. You can't fool him like that. This… this is dishonorable."

Stoick walked around the smithy, crossing his arms. He couldn't help but imagine his son working there, not only in memory, but every time he stepped into the forge, he'd imagine Hiccup slightly older still working there. His voice got hoarse as he continued.

"You know how much I've been suffering all those years, Gobber. I have to do something. I do not wish to harm the man, what was his name? Nuffink…"He answered himself, as he remembered Astrid talking about him. "Anyway, I will make sure he won't be harmed. I just want that beast."

"Didn't you tell me Astrid's information was that this dragon couldn't be the same?"

"I don't believe that. Astrid told me Nuffink had the dragon for about six years, very close to the time Hiccup was killed. Maybe he was just exaggerating or maybe it was a mistake. The thing is, we haven't seen another Night Fury since then, we've never heard about another one until this boy came around. It has to be the same dragon!"

"I don't agree with that, but, well, you're the chief, so okay…" He said sadly, even though he couldn't agree with it, Gobber would always stay behind Stoick. "When are we leaving?"

"I need you to stay and help Astrid. She'll be in charge by herself for the first time and you're the best person to help her out. I'll also ask Fishlegs to help, if he can… The men and I are leaving at dusk."

Gobber shrugged. "Alright, then. Just don't do anything reckless…"

"I'll get the world rid of a terrible plague. After that, I'll send the hunters away and talk to the other tribes. We can still ban together to eliminate the dragons of the world so we can finally have peace."

"Yeah, yeah… But you know, Astrid was right; we haven't been raided for over five years. Maybe that Nuffink guy really did something and we should stop hunting them. Wouldn't it be better to just let the dragon protectors and the hunters fight each other?"

Stoick frowned. "Gobber, you can't be _that_ naïve. You know as well as I do that the dragons can't be peaceful. And don't tell Astrid about this trap. She seemed to be too fond of him…"

"You have to tell her eventually, Stoick. Especially if you bring Nuffink as a prisoner."

"I'll deal with it, then… If it comes to that." He turned to leave. "See you when we get back."

Gobber waved and with a sigh, he resumed his work.

* * *

**About the poison I mentioned… I totally invented it, there's nothing about that on the show. I wanted Krogan to tell Stoick they used some kind of dragon poison on Astrid and the only dragon in the show I could remember had poison was the Slitherwing. In the books, there are many poisonous dragons, but I wanted to use dragons from the show. ****Later I remembered Scauldrons also have poison, but I might use it for later, so I didn't want to change.**

**Please tell me what do you think it's gonna happen next, I'd love to know! :D **


	17. Chapter 17

**And here's another chap! But first, answering your reviews: **

**CB73: Thanks for reviewing! Indeed, Stoick is a very difficult person to deal with, and he's got the wrong ideas in mind. Astrid is not gonna like it one bit, but the thing is that she might get a dragon, the problem is if or when she's gonna find out what is Stoick's plan... **

**Silvolde: lol, I want to knock some sense into him, too, but unfortunately, I really think he'd act just like that... And don't worry, he'll get some sense eventually. **

**CHSHiccstrid: Oh, yeah, Stoick is about to make the biggest mistake of his life! Well, I don't remember all of your questions, but most of them were right, thank you so much for your enthusiasm with this fic! :D **

**HiyuuJin: I'm glad it was worth the wait! And yeah, that part was cute! Hehehe**

**sup8pdct: Lol, I'm not that evil... hehehe. Anyway, I love all the possibilities that we have here, but I hope you'll like it how it will turn out. btw, you're right about Grimmel... **

**Now, enjoy the reading! :D **

* * *

_Shadow and Silver _

_Chapter 17_

It was a great morning for Astrid. The first morning as acting chief and she had already accomplished so much!

She had already stopped three arguments, checked the storehouse and now she was walking through the village to check everyone out. The Hooligans greeted her with smiles on their faces, congratulating her for the job as acting chief and it only made her even more excited.

She eventually passed by Gustav, who was on his way to the forge and couldn't help but congratulate her in his very exaggerated and clingy way. Luckily, though, he needed to go, so it didn't last long. Just her luck, when Snotlout was finally over her after years of being pushed away, now Gustav was head over heels for her… She rolled her eyes and continued her walk; not letting the event upset her. It was like nothing could upset her that day.

"Chief Astrid!" Her smile grew even wider: she liked the sound of that!

"Yes?" She turned to the kid that was running towards her.

"Sven I asking for you. They've just captured a Nadder and they want to know if they should kill it or leave in the arena… Because they don't know if they should keep it to the hunters anymore…"

"Oh…" Her heart was unexpectedly squeezed inside her chest. She knew Stoick actually didn't want to work with the Hunters anymore, but all he told her was that he had a new plan going on and then he started giving her some tips to take care of the island in his absence. Still, she found that she couldn't bring herself to give the order to kill a dragon, remembering how the dragons could be sweet. "Well… let's keep them, just in case… We might also need them to train the next warriors, soon."

"Yes, ma'am!" He nodded and rushed away.

With a heavy sigh, she resumed her stroll and walked to the bridge that linked the village to the arena, so she could watch the Vikings take the Nadder there. The dragon fought hard, but it didn't breath fire, probably already out of shots.

Astrid shouldn't be so sad with this sight…

The rest of the day wasn't as cheerful as it had begun, but the acting chief still got the best of it.

As she was eating dinner later that night, the dragons from the Defenders of the Wing couldn't leave her mind… She felt bad for the fact that the Nadder was starving in the pens, so she bought a basket of fish and took them to the arena when everyone was sleeping. Not even the fisherman saw it, she only left the money and took the basket, he'd most likely think he had sold more than he had counted.

She carried the basket to the arena and stopped in front of the door that held the dragon. It chirped inside, as if it was complaining for being in there. Astrid gulped. She used to think they were threatening the Vikings when they growled inside, now she could only listen to the as if they were asking for help… and it tore her heart apart.

Just in case, her axe was easy to reach, besides the basket of fish that hid it from the dragon's point of view. When she was ready, she opened the pen.

The dragon stormed out, Astrid was ready to grab her axe, but for her surprise, the Nadder wasn't battle ready, it instead was playful and cheerful. The girl's mouth fell open as she recognized the dragon.

"You!" She almost screamed, but since she didn't want to risk being seen, only a loud whisper left her throat. The blue Nadder rubbed her head against Astrid. "How did you find me? I thought you were safe in the Sanctuary…"

The dragon chirped in greeting and then turned to the basket. She knew it was Astrid on the other side of the door all along and she knew exactly what she had brought. Astrid slapped her forehead.

"Of course, you're a tracker dragon! I was so stupid…" Her shoulders fell. "But you shouldn't be here, girl… You should have stayed where is safe for you…" She petted the blue scales.

With a heavy sigh, she opened the basket and grabbed a fish to give the dragon. Astrid continued alternating between feeding her and playing with her. She knew she couldn't free the Nadder… People would know and questions would be raised… What if they think she was on the dragons side now? Would it affect her position as heir?

So Astrid knew she had to put the dragon back in its cell, but doing so was on the top of the list of hardest things she'd ever had to do, for the dragon hesitated to go, whining as if it was crying. Astrid didn't want to force the Nadder to enter, though, so it took a lot of convincing and soothing until Astrid managed to close the doors.

With a heavy heart, she left the arena and went back home.

* * *

Hiccup sighed as he finished changing from his armor to his civil clothes, wondering if the Vikings would stop working with the hunters soon; the ship they had just returned from was near the Archipelago. It was a good idea to scout the area already with their armors, it was too soon for the Vikings to have assemble and give up working with the hunters, besides, it was possible many tribes wouldn't stop anyway; Vikings could be fairly greedy…

On the other side of the room, Toothless already laid comfortably on his slab stone bed. Hiccup stretched his sore muscles, ready to lie on his bed and finally relax for a while when he heard his mother call him and Heather out of their rooms.

With a sigh, he petted the Night Fury's head on the way out, and then he found his mother and sister on the living room.

"What happened?"

"We found this in one of the dragons you have just brought…" Valka showed a piece of paper. "It's a letter… For you, Hiccup."

"What? From whom?" He grabbed it and walked to the nearest lit candle.

"From Stoick."

"You mean… dad?" Heather asked in a soft voice. Valka nodded. "What does it say?"

"He wants to meet me." Glanced at them, but returned to reading it. Valka had already read it as she saw it on a dragon, but decided to bring it to Hiccup as soon as he saw it was for him.

The girl's jaw dropped. "Do you think he knows who you are?"

"Can't be. Astrid was here for days and she didn't recognize me…" He rolled his eyes and added playfully. "I think I was really invisible, after all…" He looked at the letter again. "I think saving Astrid might have gotten us in his good side… Hear this:

"_To the Night Fury Rider, I'm the chief of the Hooligan tribe and I know what you've been doing recently. I'd like to meet you in person so we can discus a truce. Next Thor's Day, I'll be waiting on the island you rested a few days ago."_ He stopped reading to face the two women. "I think the place he meant is the Dragon Island, I told Astrid we'd rest there after I took her to Berk… By the way, it _is_ his, I recognize his hand-writing."

"This was… brief…" The raven-haired girl commented. "And we only have three days."

"He probably didn't want the hunters to know about it, in case one saw the letter. That's why he said the minimum so they wouldn't understand what he meant." Valka said.

"Do you really think it's true? Couldn't it be a trap?" Heather asked. "Why would he want to meet us in a deserted island?"

"Not us. He said he wanted to meet the 'Night Fury rider'." Valka pointed out.

"I don't believe he would trick us like this. He's never been the kind of person to trick his enemies, maybe unless they were in a battle, but this is different. And we saved Astrid who is now the heir in my place, that ought to make him respect us somehow." Hiccup's smile couldn't be bigger.

"It's true, Stoick has always been an honorable man."

"But why would he want to meet only Hiccup if he doesn't know who he really is?" Heather put her hands on her hips.

"Maybe because I was the one who took Astrid there and she must have told him… Maybe he could be open to accept dragons from now on or more likely not to kill them anymore. Maybe he wants to fight the hunters for what they did with Astrid. There are many possible reasons."

"Okay, but why not on Berk?" Heather asked.

"Maybe so he wouldn't startle the people?" Hiccup wondered with a shrug.

"Or he could thing we wouldn't go to a place where people usually kill dragons." Valka reasoned. "Taking Astrid was different, you were hiding then, so you wouldn't be attacked."

"True." Hiccup nodded.

"So you're going? Alone? I don't like that." The raven-haired girl crossed her arms.

"Sis, it's not like dad's going to hurt me." He put a hand over his heart.

"He doesn't know who you are."

"Yes, but I saved Astrid. And if need be, I can reveal myself."

"Maybe I should go as well…" Valka said.

"I don't know, mom. It would be a bigger shock for him if he saw you. He thinks you're dead for over 20 years."

"Besides, that could mean he'd be more upset if mom shows up. In fact, he might get really upset with both of you for running away." Heather pointed at both.

"It'd be understandable." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Besides, both of us are more known since we raid the ships more often; if we go together, even though he asked only for me, it would make sense, but if the three of us go, he could feel more threatened and thus less open to hear us."

"But Astrid probably told him a lot about us, including that we're family. He'd understand that." Valka said.

"I agree, mom… but if it's a trap, we might need someone to pull us out of there."

"Heather, he's not setting a trap for us. It's not like him." He waved his hands in front of him in a negative way.

"I don't want to think about it like that either. I might have never met him, but he's my dad… But in any case, what _if_ it is a trap?"

"Although I don't want to admit it, you have a point…" Valka put a hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"Okay, then. You win, sis. I still think he wouldn't do it, and if need be, he definitely wouldn't attack us if I reveal myself as Hiccup; it's not like he's going to hurt his own son, even if he get's really angry at me for running away… Anyway, we go together…" He turned to his mother. "If the worst happens…"

She nodded and her voice came soft and serious. "I'll take you out of Berk. I just hope it won't be necessary."

* * *

**Any guesses on that captured Nadder? And what do you think of Hiccup finding out the letter? Tell me in a comment, I'd love to know what you think! **


	18. Chapter 18

**Thank you all for being here! **

**As always, here as the answers for your wonderful reviews that always made me happy! **

**Silvolde: Yes, let's go to Dragon Island! And you're right... **

**CB73: Yeah, chief Astrid is having many problems for now, but they won't compare to the ones Hiccup will have... and Yeah, he really should have listened to his sister and mother... Thank you for your wonderful review and I hope you'll enjoy the chap! :D **

**Dinochickrox: It'll be emotional, it wouldn't be fun if it wasn't lol. **

**HiyuuJin: Thanks you so much for being so sweet and kind! I do try to update as fast as I can, but I don't know if I'll be able to keep up like that until the end, we shall see! :D **

**Guest: Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying the story! **

**Guest: Thanks! **

**Sup8pdct: Interesting prediction. I see a lot of people making an "angrier" Hiccup like that, but unfortunately, but I really can't imagine Hiccup like that at all, so it's not gonna be exactly like that, but Hiccup will be very hurt when he finds out what Stoick was up to... And me? Evil? I'm soooo not, I struggle to make my characters suffer as much as I'd like to, lol... If I were evil, I think my stories would be more interesting... hehehe **

**Enjoy the reading!**

* * *

_Shadow and Silver _

_Chapter 18_

Astrid sighed tiredly over her nearly empty plate of food. The Great Hall was noisy as usual, but her table was quiet, especially because the only one sitting with her was reading a book.

Someone came closer and put a plate in front of her.

"Tired already?" Gobber asked as he sat down by Fishlegs's side. "It's only been three days!"

She smiled, though not much. "Well, it is a lot more work then I had anticipated..." This was true, however not the only reason for her tiredness. She had been taking food for the blue Nadder the past two nights and she planned to do so later, too. "But don't worry, I'm not giving up."

"Good to know!" He said cheerfully and started eating his stew.

"So… Do you think I'm doing well so far?"

"Are you kidding me? Of course you are!" He waved dismissively.

"Thanks, Gobber." She smiled. "I just hope I'm able to follow Stoick's steps. He's a great leader. I don't want to make any mistakes…"

"Stoick had made plenty of them. Everyone does, but I know you'll do the best you can, as he does. You and Stoick are very alike… well, minus the vengeful spirit. Anyway, both are sworn warriors. It might have been one of the reasons why he chose you, sorry, Fishlegs."

"I'm not offended." The young man shrugged.

Astrid pushed her food from one side to the other on the plate as she wondered. "By the way, where have Stoick gone after all? When will he come back? He didn't have time to tell me anything about it before he left, he just gave me some acting chief tips."

"He told me a little bit, but he wanted to keep quiet about it until he comes back. I'm sure he had his reasons and that he'll explain everything."

"Okay, so what can you say?" She waved her arms in a question gesture. "Come on, you gotta tell me something. I don't want to be completely on the dark on it… and I thought he trusted me…"

"He does, Lass. As I said, he had his reasons… What I can say is that he's going to meet some people far away, so it might take a while until he comes back… And I believe he'll be fulfilling an old wish of his."

An annoying thought appeared at the back of her mind, but she refused to think of it and asked another question she had wanted to know for a while now. "Gobber, since you know Stoick so well, do you think he would be willing to talk to the Defenders of the Wing one day?"

"Well… I'm not so sure, Lass…" He shrugged. "He's been through a lot and he really doesn't like dragons, but who knows? Give him some time…"

Astrid could tell he didn't really believe in what he had just said. Time wouldn't be enough for a man who had lost the most important people for him because of dragons. Or that was what he believed, because she knew Hiccup was alive.

"I see… Well, I'm finished now, so I think I'll be heading off. It's been a long day…" She stood up. "And tomorrow will probably be as well, and maybe for a long time, since we don't know when Stoick returns… See you in the morning, Gobber."

"See ya, Lass. Have a good night."

"Astrid, wait!" Fishlegs stood up and followed her. "I wanted to talk to you about the store house…" He began, but as soon as they were out of earshot, he changed the subject and his voice was barely a whisper. "Do you think Stoick could have gone after the Night Fury?"

"I admit I've been avoiding to think about it… Though when Gobber mentioned his vengeful spirit, I couldn't help but think of Toothless…"

"It was the same for me."

"But come on, even if Krogan gave him the coordinates, he wouldn't have left with only a ship. And if they wanted to set a trap, how could they do that? It's not like they could send a letter to them, right?"

"No…" His voice trailed off, his tone getting higher. "Unless…"

Her heart made a strange loop in worry. "Unless what?"

"I remembered something. I'm not entirely sure and I'm not saying he did or would do it, but… I think I saw Stoick wrap a paper in one of the dragons he gave Krogan a few days ago. And I hate to say it, but we were supposed to cut of our business with the hunters. Why would Stoick change his mind?"

"No… come on, we're talking about Stoick. He's not _that_ vengeful, is he? I mean, would he set up to hurt the people that saved me?"

"To avenge his son's death? You've seen him after Hiccup died. Although Stoick is very honorable, he's also quite passionate and can be taken by hatred quite easily. You've seen how mad he was when he found out about Krogan's betrayal. What would he do if he believed the Night Fury killed his own son?"

"It'd be even more emotional for him… Gods, you're right. He would do that. I… I have to warn them! They helped me, it's the least I could do. Besides, I don't want Stoick to hurt his own son without even knowing it! I knew I should have told him about Hiccup!" She nervously started clenching and opening her hands.

"We're not sure he _is_ Hiccup."

"He is. And I need to go warn them before it's too late!"

"How?"

Astrid gulped and crossed her arms, looking away. She had no idea how to answer him until her eyes spotted the arena at the distance. At that moment, she regretted not taking Hiccup's lessons on solo riding when she had the chance.

"I have an idea how to get there…"

"You're acting chief. You can't abandon Berk."

If something happened to him and she didn't do something, anything, to prevent it, how could she forgive herself? She needed to go.

"I'll be leaving the island in good hands." She turned to him. "Yours."

"Me?"

"Yes, you."

"Do you know where their island is to begin with?" He raised his arms in a questioning gesture.

"Not really…" She admitted. He opened his mouth to complain, however, she put her hands in front of him in a 'stop' sign. "Look, I don't want my idea either, but I need to go. I wish you could go in my place, but you can't, not only because the Defenders of the Wing don't know you, but also because Stormfly bonded with me."

"Stormfly? Wasn't that the name of your fake dragon?"

"Yes, it's a nice name so I decided to stick with it for the Nadder that was captured a few days ago… I needed to call her something."

"How did you bond with that dragon, I didn't even know you've seen it.

"She tracked me, I met her at the Defenders of the Wing. She likes me… and I admit I like her, too; she's pretty nice. I've been feeding her during the nights."

"Wait, tracked you? This is an amazing discovery, there's nothing on the book of dragons about Nadder's abilities to track!"

He could be smart, but sometimes he missed the point…

Astrid's shoulders fell and she sighed. "Focus, Fishlegs. If she tracked me, I think I can get her to track the way back to the Defenders of the Wing."

"Okay, that's a nice plan… No, wait, so you're leaving me in charge? How will I explain your absence? What are you going to tell people?"

"I'll leave a document with my seal with you and you're smart enough to figure something out. Just don't say I'm riding a dragon."

"You have a seal?"

"That was the part you paid attention?" She crossed her arms. "Of course I do, Stoick asked Gobber to make on when he chose me as heir."

"Oh, that makes sense… Wait… so you're riding a dragon?" He half asked, half stated, unable to decide what he wanted to say.

"I did before… Just no alone…"

"I wouldn't want to be you right now… To ride a dragon? This seems insane. And quite exciting too, actually…" He rubbed his chin in wonder.

"You shouldn't worry about me, you're going to have to find a nice excuse for my absence."

He grunted, nearly in despair. "Odin, help me…" He sighed and cleared his throat. "You know it's not gonna look good to leave the island in the first time you're acting chief, right? It might cost your position as heir, the council might not put up with it."

"I know…" Her voice trailed off. "But… I can't let something bad happen to Hiccup and Toothless. Not if I can help it. Stoick is probably doing something with the hunters to go after the Night Fury and I don't trust those hunters, they might hurt them, even if Hiccup tells Stoick who he is."

* * *

Hiccup was anxious as he and Toothless flew towards the island. Heather and Windshear followed close behind.

Hiccup couldn't help but wonder what Stoick wanted to talk about… and how would he react if he recognized his son? Would he be happy to find out he was alive or would he be angry for being abandoned like that? These thoughts only raised his nervousness.

For precautions, he was wearing his scale armor, including the helmet shielding his face. He slid the front part open only to tell his sister to cover him once the island came into view. She nodded in response.

It was a very small island, so a huge, bulky Viking with a big red beard wasn't hard to spot. There were other Vikings, too, but they were further away. Hiccup guessed Stoick wanted to appear a little more vulnerable and less threatening.

Toothless descended slowly, looking around. Hiccup should be doing the same, however, it was the first time he was seeing at his father after so many years… It was actually a shock to see some gray strands on his beard. It had been a long time and just then was that the fact hit Hiccup.

The dragon slowly landed. Still surprised and in a haste, the rider dismounted and stood near Toothless.

"I thought I called you." Stoick looked above them, where Heather and Windshear were flying in circles.

"Yeah, but you know, Silver wanted to come along." Hiccup shrugged. "So, you wanted to talk to me, right?"

"Yes." Stoick crossed his arms.

"If you chose this place, I guess you wanted to see for yourself the remains of the Red Death I told Astrid about. It's close to the beach on the other side of the island. " He pointed at the general direction. "At the base of the volcano."

"I saw it some days ago… But I thought it'd be better to wait for you around here, in the forest."

"Yeah, I guess this place is more pleasant than that eerie beach…" A shiver ran down Hiccup's spine. He wasn't even conscious when he left that beach the last time, but it still gave him some bad vibes.

"Yes…" He cleared his throat. "And I'd like to thank you for what you did, that's why it's hard to do what I must…"

"What?" The question barely left Hiccup's lips and Toothless suddenly growled at their right. He gathered gas, ready to shoot a plasma blast, however, before the dragon had a chance to breath fire, something was shot at him. The stun dart came from a place hidden in the bushes and as soon as it hit Toothless, the dragon became numb. "Toothless!" Hiccup tried to help the Night Fury that could hardly stand.

Many hunters left their hiding places and Hiccup's heart sank at the realization of his father's betrayal. Heather was right after all… As soon as his mind drift to her, he looked up and around, taking in what was going on. Rider and dragon above noticed the trouble down there and quickly descended to try and help them, and entering in arrow and stun dart range in the process. While half the hunters were focusing on him, the other half was already pointing up.

There was something different in those hunters. They usually weren't that well coordinated, that well trained. Hiccup didn't have time to dwell on it and he collided with a hunter that was aiming upwards, knocking another one just behind him. Their arrows missed the target and Windshear managed to deviate from other projectiles.

Heather got fairly close to where Hiccup stood, if he wanted, he could have jumped so Windshear could drag him away. However, that would mean leaving Toothless behind and Hiccup just couldn't and wouldn't abandon his best friend. Windshear didn't have enough strength to fly off carrying Hiccup and Toothless at the speed they needed.

"Go!" He said moving away when the silver dragon got close enough.

Windshear had to dart up without him. Heather wanted to head back again; as she began her next try, more hunters were attacking her. She had to change course upwards to avoid the arrows. Two hunters quickly grabbed her brother by the arms and Heather could do nothing but stare down. She had lost her only chance to pick Hiccup, they were just too many to fight and soon the few Vikings that had been distant were now ready to fight her, too.

With a heavy heart, Heather stirred Windshear to fly away from them, looking back until she lost sight of the island.

* * *

**So, Hiccup and Stoick finally meet after almost six years... And all hell broke lose. Do you think it could get any worse? **

**I really like these conversations between Fishlegs and Astrid. There's nothing romantic, btw, they really don't like each other that way, but their interactions are so fun! What do you think of it? I really wish RTTE had explored more the gang's friendship... **

**If you like this story, please consider telling me what you think of the chap in a review, it'll make my day! :D **


	19. Chapter 19

**New chap has ****arrived! As always, thanks so much for all the readers and reviewers! :D **

**HiyuuJin: Thank you so much! I'm taking my time to write them, but still keeping it updated constantly, I hope you all like the chap! And I appreciate you all, so it's very nice to reply to you all! :D **

**Guest: Interesting, why do you say that? At least in the movie-universe, I always saw Stoick as fairly honorable most of the times, though in this story, Hiccup and Valka had a better view of him because they're family, after all. But I said most of the times, I could see him not doing so if needed, but to me it'd be a last resource. **

**CB73: Oh, I think he will, he's learnt a lesson, now... And Stoick is about to have the biggest regret of his life... And thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

**Silvolde: Thanks so much for reviewing! I'm glad you're curious to what will happen next! **

**CHSHiccstrid: That's okay, I'm glad you reviewed when you could! Thanks! **

**Sup8pdct: hehehe, Indeed it is evil, but I love cliffhangers (writing them, at least, lol). Thanks for reviewing! **

**JChttyd: Well, she'll certainly try... hehehe **

**Enjoy the chap! **

* * *

_Shadow and Silver _

_Chapter 19 _

Once Heather was out of sight, Hiccup sighed in defeat. Now she'd get help, but what could he do in the meantime? He was now being held by two hunters, Toothless was numb, often shaking his head in an attempt to get back to normal and it was his own father who had put it in this situation.

Hiccup recognized Krogan. He was talking to an older man, by what he could pick up, the other was named Grimmel and he had some sort of leader-y position and Krogan didn't like that, maybe Hiccup could use it to his advantage later…

"I want to kill it!" Stoick's booming voice interrupted the two leaders.

"No. My boss wants it alive. The last Night Fury is a great prize." Krogan said.

The Hooligan chief turned to the older man. "I paid you so I could kill it!"

"Actually, you wanted me to capture it; which was also what his boss wanted. I captured it, my part of the deal is done."

Hiccup saw them argue for a few minutes, until Stoick gave up and stormed off. However, the boy knew his father all to well to understand it was not over. Because of what Astrid had told him, Hiccup guessed why Stoick wanted to kill Toothless. So he couldn't help but feel anger boiling down his body: Stoick wanted to kill an innocent creature for a misunderstanding! And really, they couldn't even be sure that it was a Night Fury's fault!

Therefore it was surprising, yet Hiccup expected to see Stoick near the other Vikings and grab a bow and arrow. He knew then exactly what Stoick was going to do while Krogan and Grimmel were distracted with their arguments.

Hiccup's heartbeat raced and he yelled at Stoick to get his attention, but with no success. The only thing he got out of it was complains from the guys holding him down. He gulped and knew he needed to do something. Krogan and Grimmel seemed to keep Toothless alive for some reason, so they weren't the immediate threat right now. Stoick, on the other hand was ready to aim at his best friend… But he wouldn't have a reason to kill him if he knew his son was alive.

Hiccup suddenly put his weight down with all his strength, the hunters didn't expect it, so he managed to slip from their grasp and somersaulted away, standing up and running as fast as he could.

Taking off his helmet, he yelled. "Dad, no! Wait! Dad! Don't do it!"

Hiccup wasn't thinking straight, then, if he had, he probably would have done something different, but alas, he stopped his sprint right in front of Stoick. The Hooligan chief was beyond shocked to say the least as he recognized his son's six-year older face… Just when the arrow slipped through his fingers and was shot right in front of him.

The projectile hit right in Hiccup's stomach, tearing through his sturdy leather suit. The boy gasped in surprise and pain. Toothless was still numb, but he knew his favorite human was hurt and he growled in worry.

Everyone stopped to look at what was going on. Hiccup's eyes went down to the arrow sticking out of him and he reached it with trembling hands.

Stoick was so shocked he was completely frozen until Hiccup's leg buckle and he rushed to his aid, even if he didn't know what was happening.

"Hiccup… Son!"

"It seems like a reunion…" Grimmel said as he came closer. "Sadly, it's also a farewell, for the boy is our prisoner."

"What are you going to do with him?"

"That's not of your concern." A victorious smile crossed Krogan's face as he set his gaze on Shadow.

Krogan finally had that nuisance within his grasp. He gestured to the nearest guards who came and snatched Hiccup barely conscious away from Stoick. The Hooligan tried to fight them, but the Vikings were outnumbered. There was nothing he could do but watch his injured son roughly being taken away.

"Give him to me, then. I helped you capture him, it's the least you could do."

"You helped us, but since he and his dragon had been annoying us for so long, we're not giving him up." Krogan crossed his arms.

"But…" Grimmel started. "He's our prisoner, so if you want to come with him, it'll have to be on the same status."

"What?"

"I could use some ransom…" The older man continued. "Being a hunter is a cost-y job."

"How much?"

"A hundred golden coins."

"Deal."

"Each."

Stoick clenched his fists. "Fine. I'll give it to you, just give my son back."

"I'm not stupid, you're coming with us, you'll send your men back and get the gold ready and when everything is settled, I'll take you two back to your island and leave with the money. And if I see that you've set a trap, if I even suspect that, I'll kill the boy."

Stoick wanted to punch him in the face; Grimmel knew his weakness and he was going to use that all the way.

"Fine. Will you at least give me what I need to treat him?"

"And waste my precious resources? No, thanks. You can take as many as you want, though. Just leave all the weapons behind: axe, swords, arrows or daggers."

Stoick huffed and handed Spitelout his axe as he asked someone to give the medical supplies they had at hand. "Do as he says." His tone was deadly serious as he told that to Spitelout before he grabbed his things and follow the hunters.

* * *

Tears streamed down Heather's face. It was hard for her to breathe, so desperate she was. Heather hurried Windshear back and although the dragon was tired, she complied, flying as fast as she could.

Even after flying for hours and reliving the moment over and over again in her mind, she couldn't believe what had just happened. Stoick had turned on them. Her own father… Well, he didn't know it, yet, but she thought he was an honorable man. The Defenders had only showed goodness and saved a Berkian, how could he turn on them like that?

From up in the sky, she hadn't really seen his face, only his enormous shape and the big red beard. That was really not how she wanted or expected to see her father for the first time… And for the first time that she seen him, he betrayed them… It certainly left a bitter taste in her mouth, even if she knew he didn't know it was his family. Well, now he had probably already seen Hiccup's face at this point and figure out what he had done… Would Stoick let them go? Probably, but the hunters wouldn't.

She and Valka needed to save him. Immediately… She hoped both dragon and rider would be fine until they could find them.

After flying for hours and only stopping for a rest when Windshear really needed it, they finally arrived at the island of the Defenders of the Wing. The silver dragon landed at the beach near their house, Heather jumped off and ran inside, looking for her mother.

Valka was sitting by the hearth, cooking dinner. The woman was startled and looked up to find her shaken daughter. She stood up, mouth agape.

"How bad it was?"

Heather sniffed and hugged Valka. "It was awful! It was a trap… Even though I though he could do something against us, I never imagined he'd actually work with the hunters, not after everything they did… But it happened…"

"And Hiccup?" Valka's voice faltered.

"He was captured… And Toothless, too… I tried to save them, mom! It all happened so fast and there were so many of them! I couldn't do anything…" The girl continued to cry.

"It's okay…" Her mother caressed her hair, trying to soothe the girl. "They won't kill him so fast, they'd wait until they're sure they won't be able to get anything from him… We just need to act before then. We'll save them somehow. We just need to think." Valka said with conviction, more than she felt, however she needed to calm Heather down. "First you and Windshear need to rest a little after this long trip, we can't save them if you're exhausted. Second, we need to figure out where they'd go. I'll ask Mala for a map and then we can study the possibilities, then I can go to the Northen Markets to see if I can get any information."

Heather nodded as she wiped her wet cheeks with the back of her hands. Valka then let go of her daughter as the girl calmed down and she walked to the door, opening it. Before Valka had the chance to step outside, she spotted a dragon flying in the distance and this dragon had something on it, something like a person, a rider.

For a moment, her heart leaped with hope. Maybe Hiccup had gotten away! He was clever and skillful so he could have fight them, and Toothless was very powerful… No. It wasn't a Night Fury, she was sure of it. It was a Deadly Nadder…

"Heather, come see this."

The girl came closer and Valka pointed at the sky just as the dragon go closer enough for them to recognize the blonde riding the blue dragon. Both left the house and walked some steps further.

Soon the Nadder landed a few meters away from them and Astrid almost fell so she had to hold on tight until she balanced herself enough to dismount.

"Hi! I'm so glad I found you! I really need to talk to you…" Astrid's voice died down, looking at their serious faces. "Oh, no…"

"What are you doing here? Did you know Stoick was setting a trap for us?" Heather yelled at the newcomer, her hand reached for the axe on her back and she pointed the blade to Astrid.

"Hey, I just found out and I ran here to try and help you… I'm risking a lot just to come here!"

Heather scoffed. "Well, you're a little too late."

Astrid had figured that out already, but her words only made the blonde's stomach turn uncomfortably.

She gulped and her voice came out soft and almost shaky. "What happened with Hiccup?" Heather's mouth was agape; before the question could even start to form, Astrid was already answering. "I figured it out later." And Heather's expression told the Berkian she was right after all. Nuffink was Hiccup all along. It strangely made her feel great and awful at the same time; great for being right and awful for not realizing something so obvious before.

"Did you tell Stoick?" Her hand clenched the axe handle.

"No… Bu maybe I should have… He wouldn't have set a trap to hurt his own son." Heather rolled her eyes, not believing it. She was too hurt to have positive thoughts on him at the moment. "It's true! I know him. He only allied with the hunters because he thought Toothless had killed his son and he wanted to avenge him. I didn't even know about it, he didn't tell me because he could see I liked the time I spent here. As soon as I found out, I came straight here to try and prevent it."

"How did you know the way?" Valka walked nearer them.

"I didn't. Not exactly… I could recognize some places, but it was Stormfly that knew the way. She had been here, after all."

"Wait, is that the dragon we treated here?"

"Yes. She followed me and people captured her until I had to free her to come." Astrid shrugged. "I asked her to follow the scent of this dagger and she probably recognized the scent from being in this island… But I guess I was lucky that she understood where I wanted to go."

Valka walked to the Deadly Nadder and petted the blue scales. "She's a smart dragon." She looked at Astrid. "Well, since you're here, we might need your help to rescue Hiccup."

Astrid sighed, hoping that Stoick wouldn't be too disappointed in her for abandoning their tribe on the first time she was acting chief, however, the prospect of saving his son would probably get him on her side, even if it took a while.

"Alright. Anyway, I don't want him to get hurt."

"Good." Heather said. "Let's hope it's not too late for that."

* * *

**I struggled a little thinking about showing a bit Astrid flying on Stormfly for the first time, but it just didn't fit nicely in the way I wanted to show everything... I hope it's not that bad, though... But anyway, she had flown on dragons a little, so I also didn't want it to be repetitive with that... **

**But most importantly, what do you think of Stoick's actions in this chap? I'm crazy to know your opinion! :D **


	20. Chapter 20

_**Quick announcement: **_

_**I'd like to say I just published an original short story on Amazon (but you can also read it for free on Wattpad). As a writer, it's really important for me to be able to publish original content. This story is called "Between the Land and the Sea" and it's kinda like a Little Mermaid reversal. I'm really proud of this short story, it's one of my favorites; so if you like my fics, please consider giving my original content a chance and check my Wattpad link on my profile! **_

* * *

**Well, I expected a bit more of reviews last chap since it was so important, but I hope you all liked it and will review this one more because I really liked how it turned out! **

**Thanks everyone for reviewing, your comments make my day and makes me wanna write more! So, answering your reviews: **

**Luna Nightrider: Oh, thank you! I'm so happy you think this story is even better than my other AU! And yeah, you're right, it always gets worse in stories like that... lol. Yeah, sorry about the cliffhanger, I kinda like those... hehehe. I hope you were able to hold your patience and now you can enjoy the new chap! Btw, my update schedule is usually on Sundays and Wednesdays, though sometimes I manage on Fridays, too. **

**Calvin: You're not that far from the truth, though Grimmel's bias against humans is not about them being "primitive". **

**HiyuuJin: Thank you! And the wait is finally over, I hope you'll enjoy the chap! :D **

**CB73: Hey, thank you again for your support! You are certainly right! Grimmel really wants that gold and he would certainly deliver the two to get it, but if he can double cross them to get more, he'd certainly do it... And you're right, greed and hatred will be the Archipelago's downfall, that's why they need to change their ways and soon. And oh, Stoick is foolish and blind with hatred... But poor him, he's been mourning his son and wife for years, now... No wonder he turned out like this... **

**CHSHiccstrid: Thank you! I'm glad you think Stoick's actions were in character, sometimes it's hard to write stories like this that he's taken by hatred, yet still make him the recognizable great person and loving father that he is. And it's good that you agree that Astrid and Stormily wouldn't fit it, I really tried, but it just didn't... **

**RicoRodriguez2018: Oh, Toothless certainly wants to do something about it, but he won't be able to, at least not so soon... Anyway, thanks for reviewing! **

**Now on with the chap! :D**

* * *

_Shadow and Silver_

_Chapter 20_

Stoick saw Toothless raise his head just before the young man moan as he started to wake up. The dragon's attention was locked on Hiccup since they had been trapped in the cells, though the dragon was trapped in a cell on the other side of the corridor.

"Too… Toothless…" Hiccup shifted in his sleep until he was pushed out of his haze and his eyes shot open, suddenly awake in a startle. He sat up in a jolt. "Toothless!" And then the skin around the stiches in his stomach pulled and stretched in a very uncomfortable way and he was forced to lie back down and breathe, trying not to move.

The dragon warbled softly and banged on the bars, just enough to get his attention. Hiccup looked at him and raised his hands to the bars.

"Toothless! I'm so glad you're all right, bud!" He cooed some more. "They muzzled you… And we're in a Hunter's ship…" Hiccup sighed, and slowly sat up to look outside of the cell he was in; there were other dragons locked up, but no hunters nearby.

Toothless had his eyes focused somewhere behind Hiccup and the rider knew his dragon was trying to tell him something. He turned around and was surprised to see his father sitting there. The last thing he remembered seeing was his father in fuming rage about to kill Toothless, so Hiccup's natural instinct was to defend himself and his first instinct was to grab Inferno. His weapon, however, wasn't there. The movement didn't go unnoticed, and Stoick lowered his sad eyes.

"They took our weapons…" He sighed. "I'm not going to hurt you, son."

"Really? That's not really what I remember."

"That wasn't my fault! You got in front of the arrow!"

"Because you were about to shoot my best friend!"

"That is a dragon!"

"Wow, I'd have never guessed if you haven't told me!" He turned to Toothless on the other cell. "You hear that, bud? Now I know you're a dragon."

"Hiccup!"

He threw his hands up in exasperation. "Of course I know he's a dragon!"

"How could you, Hiccup? You just… vanished! I thought you were dead!"

Hiccup sighed and calmed a little.

"I was told that…"

"And Astrid… She knew you were alive. Did you make her not tell me?"

Hiccup scoffed. "No. She doesn't even know I'm alive. She didn't recognize me. Not even you did when I yelled you not to shoot Toothless. Heck, I must have been invisible on that stupid island! I think the only one who would have recognized me would be Gobber."

"Well, I didn't see you until you were right in front of the arrow!"

"Still, you didn't recognize my voice. And let's be frank, when I was on Berk, if we didn't live in the same house, I wouldn't even know you were my father, you barely looked at me."

"That's not true!"

"It is!" He leaned on the bars, trying to find a comfortable position. "I didn't even think you'd miss me, but I couldn't stay on that island anymore. I knew no one would understand me and I was sure you wouldn't even listen to me if I told you about Toothless." He sighed. "So I left with the only one who understood me the most on that island."

Silence.

"Why are you here, by the way? I though you were with them… And I don't even understand why you'd ally with them after what they did with Astrid. I mean, she told you they nearly killed her, right?"

Stoick looked at his feet, unable to face his son. "She did… But I couldn't pass the opportunity to kill the beast that had… well, that I though had killed you. I'd never imagine in my wildest dreams that by seeking my revenge I'd almost kill you. So…" He gulped, now glancing at Hiccup. "I couldn't lose you again, son… And these guys weren't willing to help you out. "

Hiccup's expression softened, as he understood what happened. "You turned yourself in."

Stoick nodded sadly.

In silence, Hiccup looked down at his tear up leather armor, some scales had fallen, too, and underneath his clothes, he could feel the bandage around his stomach where there was a stingy pain inside. He slowly put a hand over the painful spot; Stoick noticed the movement.

"You were lucky. The arrow didn't his any vital organ, in fact, because of your thick clothes, it barely entered. But you lost a lot of blood, so you need to eat and drink to gather up strength." He finished, handing his son a piece of bread in a place and the canteen of water, the only things they had in the cell.

"I guess I need to be lucky, I'm a walking disaster, after all."

"No need to tell me about it… Sometimes I wondered who wrecked the village more, you or the dragons… It even seemed as if you were trying to help them…"

Hiccup understood the hidden meaning in his words. "No. I wasn't. Back then; all I wanted to do was to kill one of them. I jut couldn't… or better, wouldn't, when I had the chance." He sighed and drank some water. "Look, dad, I'm…" He searched for the words, but they seemed hard to come out. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for leaving you without a word, without a letter… I now know it was hard on you… I just couldn't stay there. No one would understand me. No one would even try to, and you know it."

Stoick nodded shamefully. "I'm sorry, too, son… for everything…"

"So…" Hiccup looked around; there was no other human around, just a bunch of dragons in their cages. The boy leaned closer and his voice was barely a whisper. "Now, we need to work together, maybe we can get out of here." He turned to Toothless. "Had they fed him while I was out?"

"No water or food. He's been muzzled since the numbing drug effect was out."

"How long since we've been captured?"

"I'm not certain. A day, perhaps." He answered. "But don't worry. I made a deal with Grimmel. He'll release us and take us back to Berk. He really wants money for some reason. I'll be giving all of Berk's gold, but we'll return safely."

"And you believe them?"

"They need the money and we have it. There's no reason why not to deliver us."

"Alright, then." Hiccup nodded. "There's just one problem with that deal of yours." He turned to face his dad again. "Toothless is out of it and I'm not going anywhere without my best friend."

* * *

Back on Berk, The Peregrine Falcon had docked and Spitelout was now searching for Astrid, the acting chief… only to find out she had disappeared and Fishlegs was assigned as acting-acting chief. General Spitelout didn't like it one bit and called a council meeting immediately, with Fishlegs too, of course.

As soon as the people were gathered at the meeting table in the Great Hall, Spitelout demanded. "Where is Astrid?"

Fishlegs gulped, nervously. "As I told everyone else, she some business to attend to…"

"She is out acting chief! How could she abandon the island like that?" Spitelout yelled. "What could be so important?"

Fishlegs clenched his fists, gathering all the strength and courage he could get. "I know it's had to understand, but she had really good and important reasons to act like that."

"What do you know?"

"As much as you do." He lied, just because it'd be easier to handle them like that. "Look, I don't like that fact that she had to go, but we need to trust her. Stoick chose her to lead Berk because he knows she'll do the best for it as she always has done."

"Why did she put _you_ in charge?"

"Well, I was another option to be chosen as heir, do you remember that?"

"How do we know it's not some sort of trick so you can be next heir?"

"Well, it'd make sense, he's here after all, and she is not." Another Viking commented.

"Oh, stop bickering!" Gobber the belch yelled and silenced them. "Where is Stoick? That's what we should all be worrying about." Then he pointed at Spitelout. "He left with you, but he's not here. Where is he?"

"That's why I needed to speak with the acting chief…" Spitelout sighed and looked down. "Well… Something went wrong and he was taken as prisoner. We'll have to pay the hunters to get him back… and… Hiccup, too…"

"Hiccup?" Gobber was so flabbergasted he couldn't say anything else.

"Yes. Apparently, the Night Fury Rider was Hiccup all along… And Stoick went with them to have his son back…" The Vikings at the council started whispering about it among themselves. "I know it's crazy and impossible, but it's true. I know what I saw."

"And how much does the hunters want?"

"200 golden coins." Spitelout answered.

"What?" Gobber's jaw fell.

"We can't give them that much! It's almost everything we have!" A Viking punched the table.

"Stoick's orders were to give them the money… Or they'd kill them."

"Well, then, we don't really have a choice. We can't lose our chief." Fishlegs concluded. Although the Vikings agreed, they didn't like one bit the idea of losing that much money.

* * *

**So things are getting more complicated... :O **

**I really liked Fishlegs having to deal with the village, he's a nice character, but was never recognized and barely had episodes that focused on him... **

**What did you think of Stoick and Hiccup's conversation? I had bits of this scene in my mind since I started writing this fic and it was great when I finally reached this point of the fic, I hope I managed to portray both accordingly to their characters, yet in an AU situation... **

**Please leave me a comment with what you think of this chap, it will make my day! And if you're interested on different stories by me, don't forget to check my Wattpad link on my profile! :D **


	21. Chapter 21

**WARNING: I know some people are sensible, so I just wanted to let you all know this chapter is a little heavier than the other ones because it contains some torture, though I toned it down the best I could so it's still rated T.**

* * *

**As usual, first I'll answer your reviews: **

**CB73: Oh, you bet Stoick had that in mind... Stoick still didn't get it hw important the dragons are for Hiccup, especially Toothless, but he will eventually. Once again thankyou for reviewing and enjoy the chap! **

**Dinochickrox: Oh, yeah, but Hiccup has always been a walking disaster, so maybe finding out that Valka is alive won't be so bad, lol. **

**Calvin: True, I like to alternate between emotional chaps and action chaps, I think it makes the reading flow better! Great portrayal of a Thanos-Grimmel, he really sounded like a mix of the two. ****And btw, are you the same reviewer named Calvin that wrote "For the Dancing and the Dreaming - dragon version" in a review for my fic "The First and the Last"? If so, would you mind if I used that for a one-shot and credit you? **

**TheSadOldOne: Yeah, they'll certainly have to put their differences aside to try and get out of there. And I'm glad you liked that! I appreciate it when people notice those details! :D **

**Silvolde: Thanks anyway for reviewing both chaps! And gee, ff . net is crazy sometimes... lol **

**Sup8pdct: Yeah, sorta bonding time, lol. But I really liked that chap, hehehe. And yeah, never trust a hunter... **

**Thanks to all of you and now enjoy the chap! :D**

* * *

_Shadow and Silver _

_Chapter 21_

A few hours after Hiccup had woken up, Krogan and Grimmel finally showed up. Both father and son stood up to greet their captors.

"Shadow…" Krogan looked at him, putting his hands behind his back. "Or should I say Hiccup? We meet at last." He looked at Hiccup from head to toe. "I must admit I expected more of someone who's being troubling us for so long…"

"I can't say the same." He crossed his arms. "You actually look scarier and a bit more intelligent than you actually are, or at least that's what you made us believe by your stupid attempts to get us with those ridiculous traps…"

Grimmel laughed. "No wonder I was hired to get rid of you, boy…"

"Krogan I had heard plenty about, but who are you?" Hiccup asked.

"I'm Grimmel, the Night Fury killer." The sly smile showed his pride.

"Oh, really, that one seems pretty alive to me."

Grimmel's smile vanished. Stoick remained silent, watching their interaction and being proudly surprise at his once fragile son's reactions to their enemies. Hiccup was so assertive and sure of himself in a way he had never seen.

"Yes, he is for now, because I'm being paid to deliver him alive… otherwise, he'd have been dead already." Grimmel said. "But anyway, that doesn't matter. What matters is that you know the location of many dragons and I want them."

"You call it The Sanctuary, isn't that right?" Krogan completed.

Hiccup shrugged. "You know the answer for that already. And you also know that some of your man tried to get information from us before and it didn't work. I won't talk." He finished with a cocky smile.

"If we got the girl, it'd be a different story… I'm still getting my hands on Silver." Krogan tried to hit a soft spot, but it didn't work, Hiccup laughed.

"Oh, you're so wrong. She's a better fighter than I am. She'd probably have escaped by now. Either way, we both wouldn't say a thing and you know it." There was so much certainty in his voice it was hard to say otherwise.

Krogan grunted. "He'll never crack before we reach the headquarters and by then, you'll be taking him away."

"Indeed, after all, we made a deal." Grimmel looked at Stoick. "And I intend to keep it… However…" Now he glanced at Krogan before his attention locked on Hiccup. "If you want to make someone crack, you torture him, but if you want to make him crack faster, you do it to someone he loves…" He left the words in the air, suggesting what he was about to do.

Hiccup had to resist the urge to show how drastically he had became worried, though his eyes shifted to the other side of the corridor. It was fast, very fast, but it wasn't left unnoticed.

Grimmel's smile grew.

Stoick crossed his arms. "I can take whatever you throw in." Unbeknownst to the Hooligan, he wasn't the topic of the conversation.

The dragon assassin kept cool and laughed. "But you're not in this conversation, dear Stoick… And Hiccup here didn't even need to look at it. His actions earlier proved what he treasures the most; after all, he risked his own life for him. Getting in front of an arrow, refusing to go with Silver… You didn't want to leave your dragon nor see it harmed."

Hiccup gulped, trying to keep his calm façade on. "You just said your boss wants Toothless alive." He shrugged as if to show he didn't care about it. It was too late, though.

Grimmel took his crossbow and shot Toothless with a stunt dart, making the dragon fall groggily on the floor.

Hiccup's heart pounded stronger in his chest as concern grew more and more. Hunters opened the Night Fury's cage and they easily took the dragon from there. Hiccup's breaths were heavier as his anger boiled inside him.

"Indeed, I need to deliver him alive, however, the condition the dragon will be when we get there will be entirely up to you."

A chill ran down Hiccup's spine. He didn't even need to keep trying to hide his concern; it was too late. Grimmel knew exactly what to do.

"Get the boy."

The hunters opened the cage and dragged him to the same direction Toothless had been taken. Stoick would have tired to fight them, if he weren't so astonished. _Sure it was a trick to let them know the dragon was so important… right? _Stoick told that to himself, despite the gripping doubt in the back of his mind. _How could a dragon be so important?_

* * *

Hiccup was taken upstairs to the main deck. Toothless was inside a small cage and still trying to shake himself to be alert. Then, the dragon rider was strapped to a chair right in front of the cage.

Grimmel and Krogan came up to the main deck as well; the latter held a map.

"By what Astrid told me, the Sanctuary should be around here…" He showed the spot to both Grimmel and Hiccup. "But it was a lie. Our scouts said that there were no dragons there."

"Tell us where it is." Grimmel said calmly. Hiccup remained silent and serious. "Very well."

With a snap of his fingers, one of the hunters beside the cage thrust a spear through the bars, cutting Toothless's skin. The dragon roared and was shot awake, moving and fighting against the spear. He couldn't bite the weapon away, let alone fire at their captors because he was still muzzled, but a swing of his tail at the right moment broke the wood, damaging the weapon.

A small smile crossed Hiccup's lips for just a second, his best friend new how to fight back.

On the other side of the cage, another hunter did the same, catching the dragon by surprise. Toothless tried to fight it again, though the hunter managed to retrieve the weapon just in time.

The broken spear was changed and the first hunter repeated the attack. Toothless also used his paws try to hurt the men, but he couldn't reach them; he also tried to prevent the thrusts, however, when he was focused on one side, the other hunter would act.

The forced shut mouth suppressed Toothless's roars and growls, yet they didn't hide the pain he felt.

Hiccup hated to see it and not be able to do anything. Sure Toothless was strong and could take a few bruises, but what they were doing was just too much!

"You can end his suffering." Grimmel put a hand on Hiccup shoulder.

Of course the young rider wanted to do it, but he couldn't endanger hundreds of dragons…

He gulped. "Okay, I'll tell you."

Grimmel narrowed his eyes.

Krogan brought the map closer to him. "Where is it?"

As best as he could with his wrists tied to the arms of the chair, Hiccup pointed to an island south of the Defenders of the Wing.

"What do you say, Eret? Have you scouted this place before?" Krogan was suspicious, too.

"Yes. There's nothing but rocks, trees and birds."

Grimmel leaned in closer to Hiccup. "You're a bad liar." He snapped his fingers again and now a third hunter started thrusting his spear in Toothless's Eret grimaced at the violence.

They continued for a long time, and the hunters would also hit Toothless with the spear when he managed to break it before they changed to a new on with a sharp edge.

Despite his body be soon covered in bruises and blood, Toothless fought back and resisted for a long time, longer than Grimmel expected, as he let out how resilient the dragon was. However, Toothless eventually started getting dizzy and tired, he was hungry, thirsty and hurt… He only needed it to stop.

Hiccup's heart was shattered to pieces when the Night Fury couldn't hold on anymore and lied on the ground, trying to avoid the attacks by curling himself in a ball. Defenseless, his growls weren't angry anymore, they were just sad. His big green eyes met Hiccup's as if asking for help.

The rider looked away, tears clouding his view.

He couldn't take this anymore. "STOP! Just… Stop!" Hiccup yelled as if he was the one in pain, and in a way, he was. "I'll tell you! For real. Just leave him alone!"

Once again Krogan put the map near him and now Hiccup pointed to a new place, a spot way beyond north, passing a few islands, but there was nothing there.

"This is not an island!" Krogan yelled.

Hiccup gulped, feeling awful for what he was about to do. He had no right to doom all of those dragons… "There is, you just don't know it. The waters are hard to sail through, so almost no one has charted beyond this island." He pointed to the one up north.

"See? It wasn't so hard, was it?" Grimmel smiled. Hiccup's nose flared and his heart pounded strongly; rage hitting him like a wave.

"He could be lying." Krogan reminded him.

"But he's not. You only need to look at him to know. He's weak; his bond with those reptiles made him so. Take him back downstairs."

The hunters put the spears down to untie Hiccup. Once he was free from the chair, he clenched his fists and taken by his anger, he hit the men that had hurt Toothless with all his strength, taking them by surprise. Hiccup ran to the cage, sticking a hand inside to caress Toothless head. The Night Fury relaxed under his best friend's soft touch.

"I'm sorry, bud… I'm so sorry…" He whispered to the dragon right before the hunters grabbed him to take him away.

* * *

**So, this chap was kinda hard to write, because although I've written characters getting hurt before, it was never the only focus of it like in here, and I didn't want to make it too descriptive because it'd be rated M (which I could have done), but also, I needed some level of description so the readers could really grasp what Hiccup and Toothless were going through. **

**Therefore, please tell me if I managed a good balance! Was it believable, yet not too painful to read? Should I have done something different? **


	22. Chapter 22

**Thank you all for all the support you guys have been giving me! I really appreciate it! :D **

**Silvolde: Thank you so much! I'm glad it was believable, because it was quite hard to write... **

**CB73: You're so right about that! And it's gonna be part of Grimmel's downfall... **

**Calvin: Thank you, I'll be sure to credit you, once I can write it down! Btw, this might happen, it kinda depends if it'll fit Grimmel and the moment in the right time, but this Grimmel does have some "Thanos-like" mentality. **

**CHSHiccstrid: I'm glad the balance was good and thank yuo for your feedback! i really thought about adding a bit more of detail, but since it's something quite sensitive, I was afraid I'd have to change the rating and I didn't really wanna do it... Anyway, I'm so happy you're enjoying the story and the cliffhangers! **

**Sup8pdct: Yes and no... both need to meet halfway, but it's hard for the two, since they're so different... **

**JChttyd: Sorry, I didn't really understand your review... **

**Enjoy the chap! :D**

* * *

_Shadow and Silver _

_Chapter 22_

Stoick was so exhausted he ended up napping for a moment until the cell door opened again and Hiccup was thrown inside. He collapsed against the floor and slowly sat up.

"Son!" He knelt by his side. "What did they do to you?"

"Nothing… They didn't need to touch me." _They've done something worse_, Hiccup thought, wiping the wet streaks down his cheeks. "But I screwed up."

Stoick was smart enough to know exactly what had happened. "Sometimes, someone else's pain can hurt more than our own…" He caressed the boy's hair.

Hiccup laughed, but there was no joy. "You don't even care about Toothless. You don't know what it feels like."

"I can't say I understand how a dragon became so important to you, but I'd be a fool to deny it, even though I don't like it. And if he matters to you, he matters to me as well." He looked at the door, and then lowered his voice. "We can still find a way to get out of here and try to fix it."

"Toothless can't fly."

"There are other dragons in the ship."

"I won't leave him and these dragons aren't trained, so they won't take Toothless away with us." He sighed. "But maybe you can get away. If you fly to the Northern Markets all you have to do is-"

"I won't leave without you, son."

Hiccup's shoulders fell, knowing it'd be useless to try and talk him out of it just as much as it'd be useless to convince him to leave Toothless.

"We'll think of a way."

"I don't know… That Grimmel is really smart. I just… I just need more time…" He stood up and walked to the wooden wall of the cell, where there was a tiny window-hatch near the ceiling. He crossed his arms and leaned on the wall, looking at the sky getting darker as the night fell.

Hiccup couldn't stop pacing around the cell. It was in the middle of the night, and as soon as most of the hunters withdrew and only a few walked to keep their watch, Hiccup had tried to open the cell door with no success. There was no way out of there.

Stoick exhaled and pinched the bridge of his nose, getting impatient with the boy walking from side to side. "Can you stop that?"

"I need to think."

"Can't you do that sitting still? You need to rest or you won't get better."

"Right now I don't care about it, I can do this once we're out of…" His voice trailed off as he heard footsteps on the corridor.

The person seemed to be walking lightly, for the steps were very faint, even though he was somewhat close.

"Hiccup?" A familiar voice whispered and it took him a moment to recognize and run for the cell door.

"Astrid?"

Soon enough, the girl herself appeared through the darkness of the corridor and walked in his direction. His jaw dropped and he recognized the female-hunter disguise he had made for his sister a while ago.

"But… how do you… and… what…" He tried to ask, but was so surprised it was hard to make the sentences flow, until something hit him: she had called him by his real name. "You figured it out who I am?"

"Of course I did. I was stupid for not noticing before, but we can catch up later. We need to get out of here." She finally glanced at the other person in the cell as Stoick came closer. "Chief? What are you doing here?"

"I should ask the same. You should be on Berk."

"It's a long story, but we came to rescue Hiccup and Toothless."

"We?" Stoick asked as Astrid used a key to unlock their cell.

"No time for that, let's just go." Hiccup said in a hurry, suddenly realizing he hadn't told his father about Valka and now was just not the time for unexpected earth-shattering news…

Both father and son finally left the cell and after looking around to guarantee there was no hunters near, Hiccup got the keys in her hands to open the cells of the other dragons on their floor.

"By the way, how did you get in here?"

"Infiltration plan number 23… or was it 22? How do you keep track of all of them?"

"We know the list by heart." He shrugged and finished opening another cell and slowly getting close to the dragon inside so he wouldn't startle it. Once the dragon was calm, he urged the dragon out. He quickly ran to the next cage. "So it actually worked? I was a bit skeptical…"

"Oh, come on, that was a great idea. I loved it."

"What idea?" Stoick asked, squeezing himself against the wall as another now free dragon left the place running.

Hiccup was the one to answer, though, as he worked on another cell, calming the dragon inside. "Our plan to put a sleeping drug on their drink so we can rescue the dragons, though we haven't tried this one, yet." Another dragon left that story of the ship.

"Oh, and we had to knock out a few hunters that didn't drink from the barrel I put the drug in. Anyway, there's no human awake in this ship that there isn't on our side."

"Good." Hiccup calmly released another dragon; he had known Valka and Heather were there and that everyone was out as soon as she mentioned the plans Heather and him had come up with.

"It was actually easy to make almost all of them drink the drugged mead, they didn't pay attention to me; they didn't see me…"

"Not even Krogan?" Stoick interrupted curiously.

"I was wearing a helmet to hide my face… Anyway, they were celebrating they got information, so they wanted to drink and they drank a lot." She gulped. "What did they do to Toothless?"

"What seems like they did…" He finally released the last dragon. "But we should talk later. Let's just go." He then led the way upstairs.

As soon as he was on the deck, he searched for Toothless. The Night Fury had been freed, but wasn't helping out as usual because he was too wounded and could barely move. Hiccup lost his breath to see his best friend like that and he run to embrace him, carefully not to hurt him further.

"Don't worry, Bud, I'm gonna get you out of here…" He whispered and Toothless warbled back. When Hiccup backed away, the dragon looked to the other side of the ship, pointing with his nose to Valka and Heather with their dragons as they released the dragons from their cages. Both girls were wearing their armors, including helmets covering their faces. Hiccup turned to Stoick and Astrid. "Let's finish freeing those dragons once and for all!"

Stoick and Astrid agreed and started opening the cages near them. Hiccup also ran to the nearest one, but before he could even reach the metal, a red and black dragon interrupted him by swinging its scorpion-like tail on him.

Hiccup hit the wooden floor but quickly tried to get back up, only to be pinned down by the dragon's claw. He didn't understand that dragon and barely noticed the strange harness with the darts attached to it; they were similar to the ones used to stunt Toothless when they were captured. He heard Astrid and Stoick calling out for him, however more Deathgrippers got on their way to help him.

The dragon over Hiccup started preparing to shoot its green acid when the Deathgripper was hit by a powerful plasma blast. Hiccup only had time to cover his face with his arm and once the dragon was away from him, he stood up immediately. The Deathgripper didn't like the attack at all and searched for the one that had dared to fire at it. Finding strength from Thor knows where, Toothless growled at the dragon, challenging him to fight. The Deathgripper didn't lose a second and charged at him.

"Toothless!" Hiccup yelled automatically and looked around, searching for something to help him out. The hunters always kept barrels with weapons for easy access when needed, so he soon found one with a double-headed axe and didn't think twice before he threw the weapon on the dragon attacking the Night Fury.

The blade buried itself on its back, making the dragon screech, though it didn't go deep because of the tough dragon's skin. Toothless took advantage of the opponent's moment of distraction and fired two plasma blasts on the dragon, which was enough to finally make it unconscious.

Taking a moment to understand what was going on, Hiccup noticed some dragons flying away and scattering across the sky, soon they'd be easy target for other hunters; others were scared and didn't know what to do and just about a handful were still imprisoned. A Nadder, however, stood by Astrid's side protectively.

"Do you have a bond with that dragon?"

"Yeah… I guess…?"

"Good!" With a plan in mind, he knew something needed to be done, so he called his mother "First Rider!" That was how the Hunters called her; Valka didn't understand the reason for the name until she saw Stoick right behind Hiccup. "Toothless can't stay here fighting, so get him out of here and lead the dragons away!"

"I can't leave you all here!" She said back.

"Cloudjumper is strong enough to take Toothless for the long distance and these dragons need a guide, we can take the rest and go!"

"Windshear can't take all of you."

"The Nadder won't leave Astrid's side, so just go!" He quickly explained how they could get away if they weren't able to jump on any dragon before.

Valka sighed and reluctantly admitted he was right. She called Cloudjumper, the dragon had just threw a Deathgripper onto another and came as soon as he could. Valka directed him on what he had to do and he carefully grabbed Toothless in his big paws to carry him away.

The Night Fury didn't want to be taken and tried to avoid it until Hiccup told him it was okay and that he needed to leave with Cloudjumper. Toothless trusted his human companion, even though he didn't like the idea of leaving Hiccup behind, he accepted it.

Once Cloudjumper started leading the dragons away, the ones that were flying away changed course to follow the confident leader and the ones that were scared and confused followed out of instinct. Only the ones that were still in cages didn't follow, so Hiccup acted fast, releasing a Rumblehorn. The dragon tried to fly away, only to have a net being thrown at him, catching his face and part of the wing, so he couldn't take off.

Hiccup grunted in frustration, turning to the direction that the net came.

"You are not taking all of these dragons away!" A hunter yelled, partly groggy due to the drug and probably the only on who was able to wake up, maybe because he didn't have enough drugged drinks. He was familiar, though.

"It's Eric, right?" Hiccup asked, desperately searching his memory. "No… Eret. That was it."

"So what?"

"Why are you working with them, you don't even seem to like or agree with what they do to dragons! You turned away when they were hurting Toothless!" Hiccup glanced around, Astrid and her Nadder had just knocked out another Deathgripper.

Hiccup wondered what was wrong with those dragons, they didn't follow the leader, it was like they wanted to fight the humans that were saving the dragons; they were dangerous and didn't respond to their kindness as usual.

"They're still dangerous to us."

"They're not! Once you've earned a dragon's loyalty, there's nothing he wouldn't do for you! Take Toothless, for example, you saw what they did to him, he could barely move, yet just now, he gave everything he had to fight and protect me!"

Eret expression forced to be skeptical, yet he had seen it, as he was breaking free of his drugged state. He shook his head. "You can't fight against them. They will win and I prefer to be on the winning side!" He shrugged. "And what kind of name is that for the unholy offspring of Lighting and Death itself?"

Hiccup chuckled. "Well, I guess you know nothing about Night Furies."

A sword handle came rolling n the floor in their direction, releasing a familiar green gas on its way. It was Inferno, or better, his spare, since the hunters had taken his away. As Hiccup expected, a Razorwhip's blast hit the floor near them, igniting the gas in an explosion. Hiccup just needed a second to cover his face then he quickly grabbed Inferno, letting out its fire-y blade to cut the net around the Rumblehorn.

As Eret recovered from the startle and was about to shoot again, Stoick charged at him with a sword in hand. The hunter barely had time to defend himself with his own sword.

One more Deathgripper spit its burning acid on Hiccup, but the Rumblehorn was thankful for the save and protected the boy with his fireproof-scaled body. The Deathgripper charged at them, though he didn't get far as the main mast suddenly collapsed on him.

Hiccup's mouth was agape at his sheer luck… until Astrid's voice sounded not too far from him "You can thank me later." It wasn't luck that had helped him, it was Astrid and her Nadder.

The mast had knocked out the Deathgripper and with it down; Hiccup had another idea.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ship, Heather had freed the dragons, gave Hiccup Inferno back and then she spotted a crossbow with some weird purple liquid glass tube.

They could only be the stunt darts they used on Toothless when they were captured. She grabbed the weapon and fired at the remaining Deathgrippers. It took at least three stunt darts in ach dragon to make them finally stumble and fall. She pocketed the last vile and made Windshear swing her tail on Eret, sending the hunter a few meters away.

The Deathgrippers were finally down and so was the only awaken hunter, but Hiccup still didn't want to lose a second. He grabbed his father's arm and shoved the bulky man onto the Rumblehorn.

"Get on, now!"

Stoick tried to complain, though the dragon sensed the urgency of the situation and he knew Stoick had helped them escape, so he nudged the Viking, making Stoick fall on his back. The Rumble horn took off just as Astrid released the last dragon that flew after the other ones.

"Heather! Take the last mast down!" He yelled at her and she complied, jumping on Windshear and gesturing the dragon to slice its sharp tail on the wood.

Astrid watched Hiccup running to the rear of the ship, already knowing what he wanted to do. He found the steering wheel; there was one last thing he wanted to do before they'd escape. He grabbed it and turned it all the way right, he didn't care where it'd lead them; he just wanted to throw them off course.

Once the ship was turning, he tried to break the wheel, forcing it to the side. It only worked when precise spine shoots hit it. The Nadder that had thrown them landed in front of him and Astrid extended her hand to Hiccup, who eagerly accepted. He sat behind her and the dragon immediately took off being followed by a Razorwhip and her rider.

* * *

**This chap was pretty fun and hard to write with all the action and all, I hope you all liked it! Please tell me your thoughts on the comments down below! **

**Also, the story is nearing its end, so next update might take a little longer to show up because I'm working on a few chaps ahead and I need to make sure everything will make sense and tie all the loose ends, I hope you don't mind it... Anyway, I'll still try to update quite soon! :D **


	23. Chapter 23

**So I managed to update a little sooner! Yay! :D **

**Without further ado, the answers for your reviews: **

**CHSHiccstrid: Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it! **

**CB73: Stoick will most likely flip, lol... I'm glad you liked the battle! And I get what you said about Eret, but come on, he's not that bad, right? **

**Silvolde: It will come soon, but before they go to Berk, they need to do some things before... **

**Sup8pdct: Yay! Astrid is finally here! And yeah, it'd have to happen sooner or later... hehehe Btw, it was supposed to be stun dart, not stunt, I misspelled... I don't know why, but my fingers like to add this T for this word, but I've corrected it before and forgot it on the last chap... I'll get to it on the weekend... **

**Luna Nightrider: Well, now I hope you're happy you got this chap sooner than expected! hehehe. I also love those girls! They're so cool, nice and badass! lol. I do like Viggo, too, you know, he's a great villain and I like everyone in this franchise, except most villains... Nice to know chap 21 was hard to read, it means it was well done! Btw, I think you're right about the cliffhangers, I hate reading them, but I love writing them, lol. But they're kinda good too when you're reading, it helps you remember what was happening before, lol. **

**No, on with the chap! :D**

* * *

_Shadow and Silver _

_Chapter 23_

Astrid glanced back again. Hiccup was so silent during the entire flight it was a little nerving. He looked so miserable it didn't take a genius to put two and two together and figure out what had happened; the hunters were happy and celebrating, they'd gotten something valuable and Toothless was really hurt…

Stormfly screeched, sensing her friend's worry, Astrid leaned and petted her neck. They weren't taking a longer route, it wasn't necessary, yet they were so far it was taking a long time to reach the island of the Defenders of the Wind.

"So…" She started hesitantly, an attempt to cheer him up a bit. "You all look alike so much I actually though you were related…"

"What?"

"You and your 'family'. It was all set to make me distance 'Nuffink' from the image I had of 'Hiccup', isn't that right?"

He managed a half-hearted chuckle. "I'm guessing you didn't get to talk a lot…"

"No. When we met, we just had time to make a plan and go to the rescue. Why?"

"They are my family, Astrid."

"You mean like you feel like it? I guess I can understand…"

"No. They're my blood family."

"Wait… So… You mean…" Realization hit her as she turned back to face him. He nodded. So his mother was really Stoick's long lost wife, the person everyone thought had been killed by dragons over 20 years ago. Her jaw dropped and her voice came lower, even though the wind and the distance wouldn't allow the others to listen to their conversation anyway. "Does Stoick know it?"

His small smile vanished. "No… We didn't have time and I didn't know how I could tell him that… He was still astonished to find out I'm alive…"

"He's gonna find out when we land."

"I know." He sighed.

"By the way, how did Stoick get imprisoned with you? He left Berk willingly with the hunters. I though they were working together."

"They were. They wanted to capture me and dad wanted to kill Toothless to 'avenge me'. When he saw me, all hell broke lose and he ended up coming with me; apparently, Grimmel would give us back to Berk in exchange of money…"

"Oh…" she didn't even know what to say, but hoped Fishlegs would be able to handle the situation accordingly.

"How did you get back to the Defenders and how did you find us?"

Astrid shrugged innocently. "Stormfly is a tracker dragon, isn't she?" both smiled to each other.

"I guess Stormfly exists, after all. And you learned something while staying with us."

"I learned a lot, I'm smarter than I look." She joked, but it only got a half-smile out of him.

"But how did you manage to make Stormfly find everything? She isn't trained."

"I don't know either, I think it was instinct for her. She tracked me on Berk, first."

"Impressive. She really likes you."

"And I like her."

"That's good." He answered with a grunt, only then when the adrenaline rush subsided was that the sting in his stomach made itself noticeable. His wound had opened, probably when that Deathgripper attacked him… And speaking of those, he still didn't get them. Why they acted so strange? The stunt darts came into mind. Maybe it had something to do with it…

His thoughts were interrupted when they landed as they reached the island. While Cloudjumper carefully placed Toothless near their house, Heather steered Windshear to land by Stormfly's side. The girl jumped from the saddle and ran to hug Hiccup that had just dismounted as well.

"Brother! I was so worried!" She hugged him tightly. "I-I thought I'd lost you…"

"I'm fine… Just minor injuries…" He embraced her back. Astrid dismounted as well, standing near them. Stoick's dragon landed and he also made his way towards his son.

Heather backed away and looked at him and the red streak on his stomach, though he seemed mostly fine. "I wish I could say the same for Toothless…"

"Yeah… I'll take him home and take care of him… You know, Astrid, maybe you can help me distract him, you were good at it."

"That was beginner's luck." She petted Stormfly.

"Son… You need to see this." He pointed at the wound.

"I will in due time."

Heather gulped as she looked at Stoick. Her first and last encounter with the man was distant and as unpleasant as it could get. "I'll get Toothless some fish." She told Hiccup. "I'm sure there's some of his favorite left." So she ran to get it; partly because she knew Toothless needed to eat and soon, partly because she wanted to get away from there.

Valka opened the door for Toothless and the dragon came inside their house, she still had her helmet on and Hiccup guessed it was time for a long awaited reunion, so he told his father to wait there and he took Astrid to his house. As he passed by Valka, he briefly told her she should talk to Stoick. His mother hesitantly nodded and took off her helmet; she smiled at Hiccup and briefly embraced him, glad to see him again.

Then, Valka turned to Stoick and he froze. Hiccup and Astrid entered the house, although he wanted to see what his parents were going to say to each other, he was pretty sure Stoick wouldn't be so mad at her like he was with him, besides, his best friend needed him.

He soon guided Astrid to his room, where Toothless was lying down on his stone slab, resting. Hiccup sighed sadly and began working on the Night Furies wounds, stitching the deeper and longer ones first and then applying some aloe to help it heal better.

Out of empathy, Astrid winced at how the dragon was hurt. She petted him, trying to make him feel better or the very least not be too bothered by the stitching. She observed Hiccup working; his full attention and care were on the task at hand.

"You're so skillful." She thought out loud.

"Thanks." His answered simply, keeping his focus on what he was doing.

"You always were, but I guess I've never really seen it."

"Well, it's not like my record spoke in my favor, isn't that right?"

"When you talk about those crazy inventions, then no. But you created great weapons and you managed to restore a dragon's flight."

"Maybe I wasn't using my creative talents to the right things with my 'crazy inventions'." He shrugged. "They started turning out better when I started using this skill to work _with_ dragons and not against them."

"That's a good point. Still, I should have realized who you were from the beginning…" Her voice trailed off and she looked down, meeting Toothless's bright green eyes. "I'm sorry…"

"I don't mind that you didn't realize it. It was actually a good thing."

"Not that… I'm sorry because I think this is kinda my fault." She gestured to Toothless.

"You didn't hold the spears nor gave the command. How could it be your fault?"

"Because if I had told Stoick you were, well, _you_… He wouldn't have worked with the hunters and you wouldn't have been captured."

"Can't argue with you there… But they might have done something like that sooner or later. That Grimmel guy is smart and he claims to be the Night Fury hunter, so he'd come after us sooner or later. Besides, I wanted to hide my identity, so it's not only your fault and I fell for the trick. And I can't say my dad isn't at fault, too. But it doesn't matter anymore. We need to fix what's been done." He sighed. "By the way, how did you figure out who I am?"

She chuckled. "Actually, it was talking to Fishlegs. At first, even though 'Nuffink' reminded me so much of Hiccup, I couldn't believe you were the same, you seemed to have such different personalities. But he pointed out similar things and he suggested me to talk to Gobber, then I did and realization downed on me… I just knew it was you all along, making me feel like a fool."

"Sorry about that…" Yet, a grin graced his lips. "But why didn't you tell Stoick right away? I thought that would be the first thing you'd do."

"I wanted, but Fishlegs convinced me it would be better to use it in the right moment. And I agreed, after all, I couldn't prove it or contact you, so I thought it'd be best to figure something out, but we didn't have the time."

"Sorry, too. Maybe I should have done something different…" He shook his head and began stitching another big cut. "I just didn't want anyone to know I was Shadow, though I didn't know you all thought I was dead… But maybe I should have told you…"

"It's okay I guess. I was the one who didn't pay enough attention, I should have noticed… But in my defense, I had this weird impression you had bluish eyes, like Stoick's. So when I saw your green eyes, it just made me think it couldn't be you."

"You don't have to explain yourself."

"I know, but I wanted to…" Her eyes stopped at the red spot on his stomach that was bigger than before. "You're bleeding."

"I know; I can feel it. But right now there's something more important to tackle."

"Then let me help you get over with it faster so we can stich you up before you faint." She said and grabbed a little of the aloe ointment to put on Toothless's minor wounds while he took care of the worst ones. He chuckled.

"I'm not bleeding that much."

"So, what are we gonna do about it?"

"What are you talking about?"

"About everything: the hunters are gonna attack us as soon as they can."

"You and Stoick are gonna go back to Berk and we'll deal with it…" He sounded miserable and it bothered her more than she thought it would.

"I want to help." She gulped. "I never thought I'd care for dragons; until a while ago all I wanted to do was kill them, but since my 'vacation' here and especially when Stormfly followed me something changed… I don't know what or why, I can't explain it but I want to help them. I don't want other dragons to go through what Toothless did…"

"I know what you mean. I've been through this when I was still on Berk…"

Toothless lifted his head and looked at the entrance of the room.

"What's going on?"

"Food." Hiccup smiled, knowing that if he was hungry, it was a good sign; Toothless'd not eat if he was sad, as it happened when Hiccup in a coma after losing his leg.

That was when Heather walked in right on time, carrying a basket full of fish and her canteen was filled with fresh water. She threw a fish in the dragon's hungry mouth. He swallowed it with next to no bites then he opened it again so she could spill the water on his tongue; after that, she resumed feeding him.

"Heather, when you finish it, could you go and ask Mala for an emergency meeting? She's probably waking up soon…" Hiccup glanced at the window; the dark sky was turning light blue and orange, as the sun was about to rise.

"She was worried about us, so I don't think she went to sleep, she probably already seen we've arrived and must be around. Anyway, I'll find her and talk to her." She answered and the three continued tending to Toothless.

* * *

**I managed to post this chap earlier because I already planned this story to the end. Now I only need to figure out a few details and finish writing it all! This is getting to the end and I hope you'll all like how this story turns out! **

**This was a pretty slow chap, but we finally have some Hiccstrid! So what do you think of this chap? Did you like it? What do you think will happen next? **


	24. Chapter 24

**Another chap for you, guys! :D**

**Thank you all for your reviews and now, let me answer them! **

**Min's awesomeness: Thank you! And don't worry, that's coming soon! **

**Silvolde: Who knows? Hiccup could be very persuasive... hehehe. **

**Luna Nightrider: Thanks! And yeah, it's quite necessary to have Stoick's reaction to Heather and his conversation with his long lost wife... And you're right, the final battle is yet to come, stay patient! :D **

**HG4EVER69: Thank you! And indeed, Hiccup andAstrid are slowly getting closer now! **

**CB73: Yeah, they need some time to decompress, relax and prepare to what will come next. And they're still going to talk and sort out a few things, but they won't even have enough time to talk as much as they'd like to... Thanks for reviewing and enjoy the chap! **

**Sup8pdct: I'm hoping the battle will be epic, I'm doing everything I can to make it so! And yeah, last chap was just conversation, I think it's necessary to have more "still" chaps between action or it gets too annoying, besides, I need to give time so characters can interact and develop, and Hiccstrid needed a bit of that. **

**CHSHiccstrid: Yes, they are! I love Hiccstrid so much! Hehehe. And yeah, you might have sounded a bit like Tuff, but it really makes me happy to know you're so invested on the story! Enjoy the chap! :D **

**And enjoy the chap!**

* * *

_Shadow and Silver_

_Chapter 24_

While Hiccup and Astrid went to take care of Toothless, Valka summed all her courage to talk to her husband, only to have her heart melt when he said she looked as beautiful as the day he lost her. Cloudjumper had felt her nervousness and was ready to engage in battle, but once they kissed, the dragon slowly backed away, giving them space.

"Stoick… I'm so, so sorry…. I wanted to go back, and I tried, but… Berk was not the place for me…" She excused herself.

The relief of finally seeing the love of his life alive after decades started dying a little as he realized something…

"I… What…" He gulped, trying to find the words. "What did I do wrong to have my wife and my son to run away from me?"

Valka's heart broke and more tears fell. How could he think that? "No, Stoick! This is not… It wasn't because of you or something that you did or didn't do… It was Berk. I couldn't live there anymore as much as it hurt. I know you won't understand, you've always been the perfect dragon-killing Viking, but Hiccup understood me, we couldn't live in a place like that…"

"So I was swapped for dragons?"

It probably wouldn't hurt her as much if he sounded angry, but his voice only showed sadness and disappointment.

"Stoick… I love you, but going back would mean hurting someone I also love. It would endanger Cloudjumper's life because people wouldn't understand. The same was for Hiccup; he understood that if Toothless were to be found, people would kill him. And you can't look me in the eye and tell me that it wouldn't be what all of Berk would try to do, including you, even if we asked not to."

"He could have let the beast go." There was a bit of resentment behind his words and she understood it.

"He couldn't. Toothless could only fly with him on his back." She sighed and grabbed his hands, looking him deep in the eyes. "I know you're upset and angry because of our decisions and you have every right to be. However, we do love our winged friends, we have a bond I cannot explain, so we could not risk their lives to live in a place that didn't accept us for what we are nor accept our friends. We couldn't live like that, even though we've loved you from afar. We didn't swap you for dragons; we swapped our life-styles."

He gulped. "What about the man?"

"What man?"

"The girl's father… She called Hiccup her 'brother'."

"Oh… That indeed she is, but there is no 'man', Stoick. I could never love another man and I didn't want any other than you; I never stopped loving you."

"But… then… She's adopted?"

"No. She's yours." She gulped, hoping he wouldn't be even more upset that she had hidden it as well. "I'm so sorry for keeping her from you all these years… And I didn't even know I was pregnant when I was still on Berk."

His jaw dropped and although he tried to say something, he couldn't find the words. At the distance he saw the girl – his _daughter_ – passing by with a large and heavy basket until she entered in a house.

"She knows who you are." Valka anticipated his next question. "But I'm sorry, we don't have time right now; our enemies will be coming for us."

When she let go of him and started walking away, he gently grabbed her arms. "It's my fault they're coming. I incited this war. Let me fight along side you."

"This war was going on before you or the Archipelago were even involved. Though I think we'll need all the help we can get."

* * *

An hour after the group had landed on the island, Hiccup had already tended to Toothless and the dragon was sound asleep now, the boy had also treated his wound and changed clothes so they could meet Mala and Throk at the library. It was a little discomforting for the Queen to have a dragon-killing Viking at the meeting, but she knew he was her friend's husband, so she allowed Stoick in. Astrid also insisted to be there.

Hiccup briefly told them what had happened from the moment he was captured and Stoick filled in the gaps when he was unconscious. When he reached to the part of what the hunters did to make him tell them the location of the Sanctuary, it was hard for him to hide how embarrassed, bothered and ashamed he felt.

"I tried to lie, but that Grimmel guy could see through my attempts… So I had to tell him. I'm sorry, Mala."

The Queen put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I can't say you did the best thing if we're talking about numbers, but I understand your pain and I don't blame you for this. However, now the situation demands immediate actions. We need to save the dragons; I'm sure they'll assemble an armada to collect all of them."

"And then they'll most likely come to attack us, since they'd have already taken our backup." Valka complemented.

"I'm sorry but shouldn't it be simple?" Astrid asked. "I mean, all you'd have to do is guide them somewhere safer, right?"

"It's not that simple." Hiccup opened a map over the table, pointing at the places as he spoke. "First, there are few safe islands around here, so we're gonna have to search for one that is too far from here, which is bad for backup… But the worst problem is that many dragons live there for a while, they have made their nests, some have eggs and babies that can't fly on their own, not to mention the wounded that might not want to get closer to humans or follow us or might not even be able to fly properly anymore."

"Not to mention the matter of time." Throk said. "Although ships are way slower than dragons, it will take a long while to gather all of them to leave their nests. One thing is to take them away from the ships, this will be something different and not all of them will be willing to go."

"I'm sure we'll have enough time, I mean, we did a number on their ship." Astrid said. "They'll be adrift for days until another ship sees them."

Hiccup nodded, but crossed his arms. "You forgot something important."

"What?"

"The dragons. They have six powerful and dangerous Deathgrippers that for some reason don't act like the other dragons and I don't know why. Those dragons can pull the ship."

"About that…" Heather reached for something in her pocket. "I got that from the ship. I think it's the stun dart they used on Toothless when you got captured."

"Not to mention they'll probably use all that they have." Valka said, looking at the glass tube and the strange purple liquid inside. "If they hit our dragons, they'll be down."

She handed it to her son. "They must be Grimmel's, after all, the hunters didn't use them before; they only used dragon root so far… But this is different, maybe Grimmel makes the dragons obey him because of this liquid."

"But where does he get it from?" Astrid wondered out loud as she leaned to see the vile on Hiccup's hand.

"Didn't you say they have Deathgrippers?" Mala exchanged looks with Throk and he nodded before he completed for her.

"We're pretty sure those dragons have some kind of poison. There were documents stating that they would hunt other dragons and numb them with poison from their tails."

"You know, Grimmel doesn't really have a bond with those dragons and I saw some weird harness with tubes like that on them, so maybe he uses it so make them comply more easily."

"That is possible." Mala said. "And they have at least six of them, that means we're severely outnumbered in dragons that will be fighting if it comes to conflict; maybe four if we have Astrid's Nadder."

"Three. Toothless won't be able to fight in a while." Hiccup reminded the Queen.

"I thought all of you had dragons of your own." Stoick entered for the first time.

"Having 'pet-dragons' is not really part of our policy, except for a few cases." Mala gestured to the mother, son and daughter. "We respect, save and treat them, but we usually don't keep them."

"We need to avoid conflict at all costs, even if we're great fighters, their numbers are far superior." Throk said.

Valka sighed looking at the map and then to her friend and ruler. "They know our location and the sanctuary… We might need to consider relocating."

Mala looked down. Leave their island was definitely not something she wanted to do.

"Or we should take them down. Hit them when they least expect it." Astrid said. "We'll have the element of surprise."

"I think it's best if we can postpone the conflict, we can't fight them with so few dragons, especially when our most powerful dragon is out." Hiccup rubbed his chin as he thought on what they'd do; he kept looking at the map, imagining possible situations. "Anyway, the surprise doesn't change the problem of their numbers."

"Not unless you have allies." Stoick interrupted. "Now you have Berk on your side. We're great fighters and we're one of the largest tribes in the Archipelago."

"Interesting, but how do you expect to make people that hate dragons fight alongside them and not against them? Especially considering they're so stubborn…" Mala questioned Stoick.

"You saved their chief. They'd owe you."

Throk cleared his throat. "Forgive our skepticism, however, we don't think it'd make them really want to fight in these conditions."

"It might be true, but once I escaped from the ship with you it was pretty much establish for the hunters that we're together in it, so if they finish you off, the next logical thing they'd do would be to attack Berk and we wouldn't want it."

"That's a good point." Hiccup shrugged. "Anyway, if we relocate for a while we can at least wait until Toothless is recovered so we can fight them. His speed might give us an advantage against the Deathgrippers, since they proved to be quite fast."

Heather grabbed her brother's hand. "That's true, but we need to be prepared to fight, even if Toothless isn't."

"I know…" He mumbled back.

"So the best thing to do right now is gathering our allies." Mala looked at the Hooligan chief. "So you should get back and assemble your troops."

"Alright. But we'll need at least one of you to explain the dragon's things."

Hiccup gulped and exchanged looks with his mother and sister. "Your dragons are in good condition, so I think it'd be best to have you two around so you can go back and forth to the Sanctuary faster and can better defend the island, if necessary." He ran a nervous hand through his auburn hair. "I'll go get my stuff and some food, then we leave."

* * *

Hiccup went back to his room, Toothless was still sleeping, so exhausted he was. With a sigh, Hiccup grabbed a satchel and threw some clothes in, just in case he'd need it. When he was done, a warble sounded behind him. He knelt in front of the Night Fury, petting him on the head.

"Hey, Bud… I'll be back soon." The dragon sounded worried. "I know, but I'll be fine. In the meantime, you rest, okay." Toothless nodded and when Hiccup touched his forehead on the black scales, the dragon quickly licked him. "You silly… You know that doesn't wash out…" He joked and stood up just before a knock on the door. "Come in."

Heather opened the door, extending him a packet of cloth carefully wrapped together.

"I got some yak chops for you and the others at the Great Hall. I wish you safe travels." He got the packet and put in his satchel. "Oh, and Mala said the dragons we brought are already well feed."

"Thanks, Sis."

"And don't worry, I'll take care of Toothless while you're gone."

"Good to know you'll make him company." Hiccup threw Toothless a last glance and sighed walking out of their room. Heather followed him. "I know he'll be on good hands, even if you and mom have to go to the Sanctuary…"

"Or if we go on a scouting mission to find the Night Fury killer." She shrugged, but he suddenly turned back and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Don't even think about it! That Grimmel is smart and skillful… He can very well capture you and maybe do the same with Windshear to get information. Or to you. Don't go looking for him. Got it?"

"Okay, I won't." She nodded, surprised by his sudden outburst.

Once he was sure she was telling the truth, he let out a heavy breath and continued to walk out of the house.

"Hiccup…" She started and she knew he got his attention once he stopped right before he grabbed the doorknob. "I know what's bothering you with this imminent confront. I know you better than anyone else. I remember the day we met and how at ease you were even if I could have been a threat just because you had Toothless with you." He turned to look at her. "But you don't have to worry, even if Toothless can't fight by your side, you're still a great warrior. You don't need to rely on him."

"That's also the problem… but it's also…"

"The fact that you're coming back to the village that hated you and you won't even have your best friend to swoop you out of there, isn't that right?"

His jaw dropped. "You're really right… Can you read minds or something?"

"Nah, I just know you." She waved a hand in a playful way. He chuckled and walked out the door. "And you won't need to get away. Just go and see if we can get any help and then come back. Only a few days away and that's it." Heather closed the door behind her.

"Well, then, take care of yourself." Hiccup hugged her, continuing to speak in her ear. "Don't do anything stupid."

"Says the boy who created a flight suit…" Heather laughed. "See you later."

The raven-haired girl watched her brother walk to the blue Nadder and he petted the dragon. Astrid was already sitting on Stormfly's back. Near them, the green and red Rumblehorn awaited, Stoick was going to ride him again. He was talking with Valka, and glanced at heather in the distance.

Heather raised her hand and waved at him, still not knowing what she could say to the man she had wanted to meet for so long. And they didn't have the time right now. He waved back, as lost of words as she was, and mounted on the Rumblehorn. The two dragons took off and soon were out of sight.

* * *

**So, did you like the chap? Please tell me on a review!**

**I thought about showing a bit more of Stoick and Valka in the beginning, but decided to cut the beginning a bit, since we've already seen how they react on HTTYD2 and since part of it would be similar, I didn't want it to be repetitive... **

**I specially liked the small conversation between Heather and Hiccup at the end. They're really close in this fic and they care a lot for each other, so it was really nice to write something so sweet for them, what do you think of their sibling relationship in this story? **

**Btw, if you want to talk to me more, find me on Instagram, I'd love to get to know you (AT author . marilia)! And tell me you're coming from ff . net! **


	25. Chapter 25

**Wow! Guys, I'm impressed! Thank you all so very much for so many wonderful reviews! I'm so happy that I had to post it on time, even though I wasn't feeling very well (nothing serious, just a ****backache, probably for carrying weight). **

**And as always, first, answering reviews: **

**JChttyd: True... Heather is just right, hehehe **

**HG4ever69: ****Thank you so much! :D **

**Guest: Thank you so much! **

**CB73: Hehehe, it wouldn't be a bad idea to have Cloudjumper knock some sense into Stoick... lol. Thanks for reviewing! And yeah, for now, they'l be gathering allies and preparing for the worse so they can have their family reunion later, if they survive... **

**Calvin: I guess it was a bit rushed indeed, but I really wanted to get to the "juicy" parts, lol. And for this story, no, I'm not putting them against other "primitive" tribes... It'd be nice, but it's not the focus I' going for... **

**Silvolde: ****Thank you so much! I hope you'll enjoy the chap! :D **

**Luna Nightrider: I'm so glad you liked their conversation that much, it makes me so happy that people get to notice how close they are! And I also think they're just so cute together! I love those two! And hold on to your curiosity, because they'll be answered soon! :D **

**guest: Thanks! **

**CHSHiccstrid: ****Thank you so much! I'm really happy the chap is well balanced and that their conversation was good! :D **

**Dinochickrox: True, it'd be really nice to get to see Stoick getting close to Heather (I'd also love to see it on the show), but that had to be left for later... But who knows, it might happen soon... **

**HTTYDfang1rl: ****Thank you so much! **

**Enjoy the chap! :D**

* * *

_Shadow and Silver _

_Chapter 25 _

Fishlegs was getting a headache. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to have tried to be the next chief of Berk: Vikings were just too stubborn…

The Hooligans were all gathered in the Great Hall, the ransom money was in a chest in the corner, but the tribe as a whole didn't want to go down without a fight. They wanted Stoick back and the money stayed… the opinions on Hiccup varied; most didn't even believe he was really alive.

"Everyone!" Fishlegs yelled. "I know it's upsetting to give our money like that, and I know some still think it's a trick that Hiccup is alive to get more money, but what if it's not? It's Stoick's live and his son's life we're talking about! Spitelout saw how dangerous the hunters are. We all know Stoick would give his life to save his people; we need to be willing to do the same! It might be hard on us later, but we'll manage!"

"Truth to be told, we haven't been having a dragon raid for five years!" Gobber said. "So stop whining and let's get to work!"

"What about Astrid?" A Viking yelled, Fishlegs was pretty sure it was the oldest and most annoying Hooligan in the tribe. "Where is she in time of need?"

"As I said, I'm sure she had good reasons and will return soon!" He answered, however, that didn't stop murmurs all around the Great Hall; the soft noise soon turned into a cacophony of complains.

Fishlegs shoulders fell and he looked at Gobber for some support, but the blacksmith shrugged.

"ENOUGH!" A familiar booming voice echoed in the Great Hall, silencing everyone. The people looked at the door, where the sound came from to find Stoick the Vast himself standing there.

And to surprise the people even more so, Hiccup and Astrid were right behind their chief. The Vikings were so astounded that no one could speak.

Hiccup looked on the faces he hadn't seen in a long time and all of them could recognize who he was, maybe because it'd be expected, since they heard he was alive; some took longer to recognize him, but for sure, Fishlegs and Gobber were the first two, and both had their eyes all wet.

Stoick started walking ahead and the Hooligans opened some space for him to walk through the Great Hall. Hiccup sighed heavily and put on his best confident and cool façade to walk behind his father. Astrid was right by his side.

Half way to the main table, people started commenting on what they were seeing; especially about Hiccup's presence.

Before Stoick began, he briefly thanked Fishlegs and Gobber for holding on while he was gone and then cleared his throat to begin. Silent reigned in the Great Hall for the Hooligan chief to speak.

"I know you're all confused, so we're going to explain now. First, I heard you were talking about Astrid. You should not badmouth her, for she had come after us as soon as she realized what I was up to, and helped us. I believe you all know by now I tried to go after and get the Night Fury I thought had killed my son… Well, turns out the rider, Shadow, was in fact Hiccup…"

The confirmation of what Spitelout had said when he arrived was still a shock anyway, so everyone started whispering about it. Stoick rolled his eyes.

"Silence! Yes, I know it seems impossible, but it's true. And then the hunters captured both of us when Hiccup got hurt in the conflict. Meanwhile, Astrid found the people Hiccup lives with and together, they rescued us…"

"How did she do it?"

Stoick looked at the girl so she could explain.

"I used what I've learned at the Defenders of the Wing with a Nadder we had captured and then went after them."

"A dragon?!" Mildew screamed. "You rode a dragon?!"

"Yes, and if I hadn't done so, our chief wouldn't be back and we would have to give the hunters almost all the money we have."

Hiccup briefly face-palmed and whispered to himself. "How is he still alive?"

"I have no idea…" Fishlegs whispered in answer.

Meanwhile, Gobber was so shocked he could hardly move until he finally broke through his stupor and hugged Hiccup all of a sudden. "It's so good to see ya, Boy!"

"Hi, Gobber… Missed you too…" He answered in between breaths, so tight was the blacksmith's embrace; he also winced at the pain in his stomach, but the man soon let him go. Hiccup smiled at his old mentor, but didn't have time to talk to him, so he cleared his throat and looked at the Hooligans.

"I've come here because we need to assemble against the hunters. They are not your friends, nor your allies. Proof of that was that they took your leader for ransom, not to mention they've tried to kill Astrid."

"We're not allying with dragon lovers!" Spitelout crossed his arms.

"Dragons are not the enemy. They're kind, wonderful creatures—"

"Nonsense!" Mildew spat. "And we shouldn't listen to you! You were supposed to be our heir, but you abandoned the tribe!"

More people complained.

"Oh, come on!" Fishlegs yelled. "We all remember how we treated Hiccup! It's no wonder he left, we didn't give him respect and we never really listen to him or tried to help him. We have a threat to face, so we must hear what he has to say if we don't want the enemy to take us by surprise!"

Hiccup nodded, thanking Fishlegs silently. "And the hunters don't care about you. They never did and never will. They're going to use you and not pay you and when they're done, they'll end up making Berk fight the other tribes so you can end yourselves."

"Of course they won't pay us, you keep stealing them!"

"We never take anything from their ships except for dragons. We don't steal them, and we don't have time for that. We only have time to save lives and that's what we do."

"I don't care!" Mildew said again. "You turned your back on us and allied with the enemy! You are not our heir!"

"I never said I am. I'm not a Hooligan anymore. But I can be an ally. The hunters will come after my people and if we don't stop them, they will come after you."

Mildew grunted. "We should throw you to the dragons! That's what dragon lovers deserve! To be killed by them!"

Hiccup pointed at him. "Now that's a good idea, please throw me against the fiercest dragon you've got!" The Vikings gasped. He smirked. "And I'm going to show you dragons' true nature."

"Well, we have a Monstrous Nightmare that has been a pain… It is very wild…" Spitelout mumbled loud enough to be heard in the silent Great Hall.

"That's great!" Hiccup had the widest grin he could muster. "I love a challenge. And when I tame it, you'll see what dragons can be when not threatened. Now, to the arena!"

Being Vikings, everyone cheered for a little action and they promptly started moving towards the arena and forecasting (and probably betting on) the end results. Most didn't think the once nuisance of the tribe stood a chance against a rampaging Nightmare.

As soon as most were already out of the Great Hall, Stoick neared Hiccup, his voice anything but a whisper. "Are you sure about it?"

"Of course." He said, overly confident, like the time he had pretended to be a hunter to get information at the Northern Markets.

"It's okay, chief." Astrid said. "I've seen how he deals with a mad Rumblehorn; he can take a Monstrous Nightmare."

Stoick nodded. "If you say so, I'll believe you…" Although he was still worried.

"Good, then while I get ready, please make everyone calm down and get quiet. I don't want anyone doing anything stupid…"

"Okay, then." Stoick said and left to do what his son asked for.

Fishlegs jumped to hug him. "I knew you were alive!" Astrid raised an eyebrow and Fishlegs stuttered to explain. "Well, you know, after Astrid told me everything I had hopes…" He sighed, letting him go, his voice came down lower. "And… hum… I'm sorry for treating you badly before you left…"

Hiccup shook his head. "It's okay, Fishlegs. I wouldn't change my decision on leaving if you had acted differently." As soon as he finished, he felt an ear being pulled. "Ouch!"

"How could you do this to us?!" Gobber asked, letting him go.

"Sorry, Gobber… It's a long story; we don't really have time for it now…"

"I missed you." The blacksmith said and Hiccup smiled.

"Me too. Well, what are you waiting for? I need you all to help Stoick calming people down while I get ready." He smirked.

Gobber and Fishlegs agreed and left quickly. For a moment, Hiccup let himself sigh in wonder of what he'd do, not noticing Astrid observing him carefully.

"You'll be fine, Hiccup."

"I know it." That smug smile haven't left his face, yet.

"Yes, but I meant it even without Toothless." Now his façade finally fell. "You act overly confident like that to make it up for his absence, don't you? But you are good on your own."

"I know, I've been doing this kind of thing for years now. And I like soothing dragons. But it's easier to have more courage when you have a Night Fury by your side… If I screw up or if something goes wrong, it can be the death of me. Dragons are wonderful creatures; they're kind and gentle, but they are powerful and strong and they can be ruthless to protect themselves or what they love."

"Well, I have faith in you. You've been doing it for a long time anyway, right?"

"Yes…"

"Who'd have thought: you'll end up facing a Monstrous Nightmare in the arena after all."

It took a few seconds for Hiccup to understand what she meant and he smile when he did.

"Oh, the irony… I left because I didn't want to face the dragon and now I'm back to the same situation… Well, not exactly the same…"

"So, let's go, then?"

He smiled and nodded in response. Both left the Great Hall and followed the people to the arena.

* * *

Hiccup watched the cell being opened, a red Nightmare barged out. First, the dragon tried to escape, only to find itself inside a chained dome. That was when he noticed the skinny human in the middle of the stony floor.

The dragon knew he'd have to fight the human, so he got closer to him… but he didn't have any weapon on him...

The young man had something that smelled of metal in his left hand, though it didn't have a pointy end… Until it suddenly grew in size, lighting the new part with a spark. The Monstrous Nightmare was shocked. How could a human wield fire like a dragon? And apparently, that really wasn't a normal thing, for the dragons heard gasps in the crowd.

"It's okay." The human spoke in a soft and gentle voice, raising a hand forward. "I'm not like them. I'm not gonna hurt you."

The dragon slowly got closer until his soft hand touch his snout. Indeed the skinny Human was different. His hand slid to the side, reaching a very sensible spot. The dragon reacted instinctively and breathed fire; Hiccup barely had time to dodge, his injury making him a little slower than usual. The Nightmare rub his head against the floor, something obviously bothering him. Hiccup had seen it before…

"Hey, boy… Don't worry. I know you're in pain. Let me help you."

Again the dragon instinctively moved to a protective instance, ready to fight if needed. Yet, the man remained calm. He moved the fire sword and it worked on distracting the dragon.

Once he had the opportunity, Hiccup pressed a button to make the fire blade retrieve back to its handle and he put the handle inside the dragon's mouth and kept it open, like that.

"This is a little old fashioned, but I'd prefer not to lose another limb…" He mumbled to himself as he inspected inside the mouth, finding the source of the dragon's burden, a hook that had found it's way there and got stuck.

Hiccup quickly snatched it away and threw to the ground. The dragon was surprised to feel the pain had gone away then nuzzled the man in gratitude. Hiccup petted him and turned to the people.

"See? This is what a dragon's true nature is." His voice echoed around the silent crowd; the Vikings were yet again astounded by what they saw. "Now let's focus on what's important; we have a war to handle."

* * *

**Keep the reviews coming, guys! They're so important to me and I'd love to know what were your thoughts on the chap! Did you like Stoick, Astrid and Hiccup's arrival at Berk? Did you like Hiccup's soothing expertise at the end? And what about acting-chief Fishlegs? Please tell me! **

**I tried to make the conversation between them and the Hooligans a bit short and straight to the point because I didn't want to be repetitive, they'll explain everything to Berk in detail offscreen, or it'd be just too annoying... So what do you think of this choice?**

**See you all on Sunday! :D**


	26. Chapter 26

**I'm again very surprised and happy by the amount of reviews I got lat chap! Thank you all soooooo much! Let's start with their replies, shall we: **

**Silvolde: Thank you so much! I'm really glad you feel like the last chap was the best! I hope this one will be just as good! :D **

**Luna Nightrider: I'm so sorry, I hate when it happens, too... Thank you so much for your review and true, I guess the chap was a bit too fast paced because I really want to get to the climax of the story... maybe later I'll tweak it a bit and at a few more sentences to those scenes to slow the pacing a bit. But I'm glad it was enjoyable nonetheless! **

**CB73: Indeed it'd be too easy to make everyone just agrees like that, so Mildew and Spitelout just represent part of the people that are against it, the idea is that more people feel this way, but only those two spoke up. Yeah, summarized Hiccup's thoughts exactly! hehehe. BTW, Spitelout, although not really liking it, he still respects Stoick too much, so he wouldn't really go against him that easy... And more or less about Spitelout's power lust, he knows that Snotlout would be the next chief anyway... :/**

**Nightfury: Thank you, and here's more! :D **

**Calvin: I see what you mean... well, yeah, maybe there's a little bit of it, but not that much and it;s not the focus, the focus right now is the dragons. They probably will indeed, but I don't think I'll have time to show it by the end of this fic... And apparently, that's what happened to Mildew at the end of RTTE... heheh **

**HG4ever69: Thank you so much! That's still gonna take a while, though, but we have some Hiccstrid in this chap! **

**Dinochichrox: Yep! And he's doing it even more on this chap! I hope you'll like it! **

**CHSHiccstrid: That's so good! unexpected and fitting are things I love to do, so I'm really glad it felt that way! You're right, Fishlegs would be better than many people, but he just doesn't really fit the position... but he can do it for a while and he can definitely do other things! I love his character so much! And I'm super glad you think I made the right decision, thank you! :D **

**HTTYDfang1rl: Thank you! :D **

**Now, enjoy the chap! **

* * *

_Shadow and Silver_

_Chapter 26 _

"Relax, let her come to you." Hiccup instructed. Fishlegs waited, looking anxiously at the Gronckle centimeters away from his extended hand. Slowly, the dragon leaned on his hand and the young man wanted to jump in joy. It was hard for Hiccup hold his laugh at how eager his old friend was. "Fishlegs, I don't think I've seen you that happy since Snoggletog morning when we were seven."

"Well, it's not everyday something like this happens!"

"It might change from now on."

"Oh, for Thor's hammer, can we just finish it, already?" Snotlout crossed his arms.

They were at the arena, Hiccup had been there since dawn so he could calm the dragons down and as soon as the first volunteers showed up, they started working on bonding with dragons. Fishlegs was the first and after interacting with the Gronckle for a few minutes, he finally touched the dragon.

"Ruff, Tuff, your turn. That green Zippleback will be perfect for you."

"Wait!" Fishlegs said. "What do I do now?"

"Now you give her a name and let her get used to you so she can let you ride her."

"That's just stupid! Why take so long when you can just go and sit on the freaking dragon?" Snotlout yelled, but the tail of the bright red Monstrous Nightmare Hiccup had confronted the previous night swung, hitting Snotlout on the head and nearly made his helmet fall.

Hiccup chuckled and petted the dragon. "I like you already." Then he turned to his former bully. "Well, I don't know if you noticed, but I'm the one with dragon knowledge and experience here, so if you want to be one of the first Vikings to ever ride and fight on a dragon and defend your tribe, you'll have to do as I say. And in fact, I have the perfect dragon for you…" His voice trailed off slyly.

"Wait, it can't be this one!" he pointed at the red dragon. "He hates me!"

"If he did, you'd most likely be toast by now. Besides, a Monstrous Nightmare is one of the most powerful and lethal dragons in the known world, you wouldn't want to settle for less, would you?"

Snotlout opened and closed his mouth, searching for words. Astrid was trying hard not to laugh, she and Stormfly were waiting patiently for more "advanced" classes, but she was enjoying seeing Snotlout embarrassed like that.

"Shut up, Hiccup." Snotlout looked away.

"I can't, I'm giving classes, but you can now do the same thing Fishlegs just did with the Monstrous Nightmare. Good luck."

He turned to the twins and both were now fighting over the name of their dragons. Hiccup sighed, it was all taking longer than he had imagined…

"So… Nice dealing with the 'snot-man' over there…" Astrid whispered as she came closer. "But you really think pairing him with such a dragon would be a good idea?"

"Why not? Do you think he'd destroy more things than the Twins with a Zippleback? I though on giving them Terrors, but they wouldn't be able to ride those…" He glanced from the Twins to Snotlout. "Did things change that much?"

"No, what I meant was his ego, it's already over his head as it is, imagine with a powerful dragon…"

"I'm pretty sure that dragon will keep his ego in check." He chuckled.

"I guess you're right… So, where did you spend the night? Here?"

"No… At my dad's. Though not in my old room, it was a mess…" He sighed, defeated. "He hadn't even entered the room since he thought I died."

"Yeah…" She was wary at how devastated he sounded. "But had a nice night's sleep?"

"Yes. It was nice. I was tired after explaining everything to the Berkians… At least most took the info about my mom better than I had imagined."

"After seeing you dealing with the Nightmare like that, nothing would surprise them." She chuckled.

"Thanks." He smiled at her. The twins started yelling, they had just fed the Zippleback and were proud of it. Hiccup excused himself and went to talk to them. "That's great! Now talk to them a little longer and then mount up! Fishlegs, go on, you should be able to ride her now." He turned to Gustav. "Chose your dragon, already?"

"Yes, sir." The teenager answered.

"Great. Get a fish and let's get started. You're not with any weapons on you, right?"

"Can't I have anything? Not even my dagger?"

"No, I told you so."

"But you have that cool fire-sword."

"That's different and I've been doing for way longer than you, right? So leave your dagger out and get moving!"

"Yes, sir…" He hesitated a little, but complied nonetheless.

Astrid was amazed by how well Hiccup could make people just obey him that easy. She could do that most of the times, too; she was well respected in the tribe, after all. He did it in such a natural way she couldn't help but want to be like that, especially now that she was the future chief… Or was she? The true heir had just come back…

With a sad sigh as she just realized the position she had fought so hard for was gone, Astrid sat down to wait, observing the Berkians train with dragons for the first time.

* * *

After a very tiring day, guiding and teaching the Vikings to deal with dragons, Hiccup sat on the ground near the hearth and opened his map. The light from the fire was enough to see the drawings on the old paper.

Tracing the islands as he wondered, he was so concentrated he thought out loud.

"This area is full of hunters… And they had claimed this one… This is too close from the Northern Markets… So the Defenders can only move to the islands on the North. And we need a volcano for the Eruptadon… So maybe these islands can be a nice option for a temporary refugee… What do you think, Bud?" He automatically looked to his right side; there was nothing but the wooden wall and an empty living room.

Hiccup sighed, looking down again. Toothless would usually lay down on his right side, when in the living room, in front of the door for their room. For a moment, he had forgotten where he was and it was so natural to have Toothless by his side all the time. It's been already two days apart and it was so strange for Hiccup… The only time they had been apart for that long was on their first Snoggletog together when he built Toothless an automatic prosthetic tailfin.

The front door opened with a creak, taking Hiccup away from his thoughts to look at his father, entering home.

"So, how was your day at training?" Stoick asked as he walked to the counter and grabbed a jar to pour mead in a mug. He gestured the mug to Hiccup, but he declined, so Stoick took a sip and sat on his chair.

"It was okay; just tiring because there's so much stuff to do. Now the riders and dragons need to get used to each other so we can practice on the air." But even if they could start that the next day, he knew I'd take a while for them to be ready to fight on the back of a dragon.

Stoick drank again, looking at Hiccup, who was feeling down and with his attention on his map.

"Hum… I think you miss your… dragon…" It was hard for Stoick to say, but he did it, even though pausing once or twice.

Hiccup admitted by nodding slowly. "I'm worried about Toothless, alone and hurt… I'm worried about mom and Heather, not to mention all the Defenders and the dragons in the sanctuary. I don't know what's going on with them while I'm here…"

Stoick's eyes went to his half empty mug. He wondered for a while, until h spoke in a husky voice.

"I don't understand how you can care so much for dragons… How you befriended one that much… But I know you do and I respect it. Besides, Valka and Heather seem to care just as much and I'll have to get used to it once you come live here."

"Wait, what?" Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"You, Valka and Heather coming back home. Isn't that obvious?"

"Wait a minute, we never said we'd come back. Berk might have accepted dragons or at least they're on their way, but who said they'll accept us? And who said we'd want to come back?"

"Why wouldn't you want to?"

"Well, for starters, we have a life out there, you know. And we don't know what we're gonna do or go… Why would you just assume we'd come back? Besides, what's going to be my position here? I can't be heir anymore."

"Of course you can! You are my first born son!"

"It wouldn't be fair to Astrid, I know she was chosen for that. And what about the Berkians? Do you really think they'd accept me as a leader?"

"They'd have to! You can't just tell me you're not coming home after I found you all!"

"Dad, we can visit and you can get a dragon and visit us whenever you want, but moving to Berk is just not an option!"

"Nonsense! This is your home. Especially now that we're accepting dragons!"

Hiccup grunted, remembering his monologues with his father. He just wouldn't listen… Postpone the problem was the best way to go for now.

"Dad, look, we're both tired, we have a lot to deal with and there's a threat for both of our tribes and the dragons lurking around, so let's just rest for now and we can talk about it after our enemies are dealt with."

"Very well… You've learned to be quite diplomatic. You'll be a good chief for Berk."

Hiccup rolled his eyes and focused on the map, not because he wanted anymore, but to pretend he was busy. It worked, for Stoick soon finished his mead and left the living room, saying Hiccup should rest as well. The boy agreed, but as soon as he heard snores coming from his father's room, he packed his things and left the house.

Taken by an outburst, he went straight to Astrid's house. As expected, Stormfly was sleeping soundly by the wooden wall.

"Hey, girl…" He whispered. The Nadder opened her eyes, getting alert for a moment until she saw Hiccup, and then she nudged him. "Oh, you remember me, too! You're such a nice girl. So, let's go for a flight?"

He caressed her scales and the dragon chirped. He gently shushed her and stepped back a little. He got ready then jumped on the back of the Nadder. He petted Stormfly.

"What do you think you're doing with my dragon?"

Hiccup froze, slowly turning to where the voice came to find Astrid just a few meters away. Her hands were on her hips and she had that angry expression that could kill him at any minute, just like the looks she gave him when he was exceeding in Dragon training, six years ago.

"Hi, Astrid. Hi. Astrid, hi…"

"What's going on?" She crossed her arms. "Why are you stealing my dragon, too?"

"I'm not stealing, I was just borrowing. I know she'd return to you and… wait, what do you mean 'too'?"

Her expression softened a little, she didn't mean to say that; it just came out. Besides, she knew it wasn't his fault.

"Well, you know. With you back, you're entitled to be the heir now." She shrugged.

His jaw dropped and he dismounted immediately.

"What? Why does everyone assume I'll just come back and everything will magically go back to normal? I don't think the Hooligans will accept me as a leader even if I wanted to come back, which I never said I do. I have a life with the Defenders now and I like it!" He finished putting a hand over his chest and trying not to yell so he wouldn't wake the tribe up. His shoulders fell. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude…"

"No. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have just assumed that. I just felt like it was obvious, I mean, you know how Stoick was after you left. And now he's not only find out that his son was alive this whole time, but his wife and a daughter he didn't even know he had are back…"

"We can come and go whenever we want and faster with dragons."

"Which leads to… what were you doing with Stormfly?"

"Yeah, well… Sorry about that. I was thinking of flying back to the Defenders… And I know Stormfly would find her way back to you…"

"Why?"

"I'm worried about them… I want to know where are they going. I want to see how Toothless is holding on…"

"Hiccup…" She whispered. "I know it must be hard for you, but we need your help right now. Toothless will be fine without you for a while and you'll be fine, too. But we need you to help us deal with the dragons."

"The thing is, you're not ready to fight on the back of the dragons. Well, maybe you will be, you're, well, Astrid. Incredible and invincible Astrid; a born warrior. But the others? I don't think so…"

She smiled half-heartedly at the compliments, but sad about the others.

"That might be true, however, I think it's more than it. You're insecure because Toothless is not here. You get more confident when you're around dragons; but you don't feel as confident on your own even though you should."

He raised an eyebrow and she took one step closer to him, putting a gentle hand over his heart.

"Hiccup, you grew up to be an amazing and resourceful warrior, with or without the dragons."

He almost laughed. "Yeah, like the time I was captured and got my dragon hurt. No dragons and no way out, just great…"

"I'm serious! That wasn't because you're not good enough, that happened because your enemy was stronger and maybe smarter. That doesn't mean you can't turn this around."

"Thanks, Astrid…"

"You can thank me when you feel the truth about yourself. Anyway, don leave just yet. At least give everyone a proper class in the air and maybe teach me some advanced things so I can teach them when you go find them."

"They might have already moved, then. They need to leave their island and fast."

"Then they're not stupid, someone will come and tell you where they went. Now go back to your house, you need to rest. Gonna need it because you're training me at dawn."

"Yes, ma'am…" He half-smiled and with a heavy sigh, he turned back to the Haddock household.

* * *

**Well, it was quite fast for Hiccup and Stoick to have an argument again, wasn't it? It's almost like they only need a minute to talk and it will inevitably happen, lol. They're really too different, I guess… And Stoick doesn't really understand Hiccup, but at least he respects his son, so it's a start! What were your thoughts on this little quarrel? **

**So Berk is finally on its path to change! What did you think of the scene Hiccup's teaching the gang? Did you like the Hiccstrid scene? I think it was a bit short, but cute! **


	27. Chapter 27

**So this fic finally got 200 reviews! I'm so happy, guys, thank you all so much! **

**I'm sorry I couldn't get to post sooner, I've been quite busy... And next week I'll probably only post on Sunday, again... sorry... But at least, this is probably one of the longest chaps I've posted in this fic! **

**Answering your reviews: **

**HG4EVER69: I could see that, too, but let's see if it'll happen, hehehe. Thanks for your review! **

**CB73: Lol, true, that'd be very Stoick-like, but he is trying to be a better dad for Hiccup... He just doesn't really know how... And indeed, Hiccup wouldn't take Astrid's position from her, he likes and respects her too much for it. **

**CHSHiccstrid: I'm so happy you think it could be something that happened in the movies, I was hoping I've portrayed the characters well! True, I think she'd be more similar to Astrid in HTTYD1, after all, she began changing because of Hiccup, but she was like that in the beginning of the fic, but with "Nuffink" and even Fishleg's influence, she began changing. There'll be 30 chaps total plus an epilogue! **

**Luna Nightrider: True, it can be a bit bit confusing to read many fanfics at once, but one thing you can do is to remember and think about the most important characteristics of the fic before you start reading it... It helps me. And htanks for reviewing, I hope you rested well! **

**Silvolde: Yep, he didn't, and i don't think he ever will, lol... Thanks! I'm glad you liked the cute Hiccstrid scene and the chap! **

**RicoRodriguez2018: Toothy (loved the nickname, hehehe) is not fine, but he will be, eventually... Thanks for reviewing and enjoy the new chap! **

**Quartz Rider: Thanks! I'm glad you like the story and its plot! I also want to put some more Hiccstrid in here, but it's quite hard to find the perfect opportunities without it seeming false or exaggerated, after all, I don't want it to be like an insta-love and it doesn't fit those two... but I'm inserting small, cute moments until the ending! I hope you'll like it! **

**Sup8pdct: Yeah, that's Stoick, right... And Heather is showing up in this chap! I really wanted to have more time to get father and daughter to bond a bit, but I think it'll be hard to have time for it... :/ **

**Guest: Thanks! **

**Enjoy the chap! :D **

* * *

_Shadow and Silver _

_Chapter 27 _

In her disguise, Heather strolled down the Northern Markets, seemingly concentrated on finding something to buy, when in reality she was paying attention to what hunters and weapons-sellers were talking about.

She passed by two hunters that were playing Maces and Talons; she kept her distance, but her ears were alert when she heard a known name.

"Grimmel… I never thought he'd be working with the hunters. He's never liked them. He doesn't like it that they use dragons, he thinks dragons are too dangerous to be used."

"Doesn't he have dragons of his own?"

"Yeah, but he dopes them. You know, it's easier to kill dragons with other dragons to do the dirty work… But he can dispose of them the minute he wants to."

They resumed talking about the game, so Heather walked away. Truth to be told they didn't know much about Grimmel, only that he had killed many Night Furies to earn his tittle. He came from the south and as hired by the hunters to get rid of Shadow and Silver. He was skilled and smart… And that was all they knew about him. However, it seemed like, maybe, he wasn't really following the leader of the hunters as they had imagined…

The harbor was quite full with hunters' ships, so she continued walking around to see if she could find out the reason for that.

Heather had heard that new weapons were ready for the hunters, so she went straight to the biggest weapon's shops in the Markets. Under the tent, there were many arrows displayed on a table and many pots in different sizes with a green liquid inside. She looked at the shop owner, he was busy talking to a hunter, so she grabbed the smallest recipient and slipped it into her pocket.

"Are the arrows ready?" A hunter asked, and by the arrogant looks he wore, he was most likely a chief of one of the ships.

"Yes, sir!" The man who owed the shop said. The hunter inspected the arrows and when he was about to touch the tip of one, the seller stopped him. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. They are all very sharp and very deadly. One cut and you'll be dead in a few days.

The hunter smiled. "Great! Those idiots dragon lovers won't know what hit them and once they do, it'll be too late. We have men already waiting in all the known islands where they'll search for an antidote."

The salesman laughed, and then he leaned closer to the hunter. "Between you and me…" His voice lowered, but was still loud enough for Heather to hear a few steps away. "I wouldn't trust that Night Fury Killer man…"

"Why do you say that?"

"A few weeks ago, just before he was hired by you guys, he bought a huge amount of weapons, though I don't know why…" The weapons dealer shrugged. "And he still owes me some money, I think he only accepted the job so he could get it. But anyway, he's up to something…"

"I see…" The hunter mumbled, looking around, Heather took it as a cue to walk away.

A few meters away, she found some caged Scauldrons. Without even hesitating, she made her way to the cages. Heather unlocked the first one, but would only open all of them once she had unlocked all, so she'd have time to escape, but the dragon inside was so desperate to leave that he shoved the door open and flew away, alerting the hunters.

Heather swore under her breath and ran to the next cage, unlocking it and running for the next. All the dragons flew away immediately. As she worked on the last cage, the hunters had already assembled and were charging after her. Arrows were shot at her.

The last dragon pushed the cage door away and flew away, avoiding the arrows as best as it could. Heather ran, trying to get back to Windshear, hidden in the forest, however, an arrow buzzed through her left arm, cutting her sleeve and a thin line of her skin, though she barely noticed it with the adrenaline rush to get out of there.

Windshear had heard the commotion and took off to go after her human. The Razorwhip fired at the hunters and they shot arrows back at her. However, it was hard for them to hurt the dragon, since its metal scales were hard for the tip to penetrate, so unless they hit in between them, Windshear would be safe.

Heather ran through a corridor with many boxes of shipments. She opened her axe and threw it into one of the wooden boxes; destroying it and making the pile fall on the way of the hunters. Windshear flipped and turned to avoid the arrows and fired at the hunters, the dragon didn't notice when a purse, previously strapped to the saddle fell down as she maneuvered. She flew close enough so Heather could jump on her and they could fly away.

* * *

Stormfly was flying ahead the other dragons, as usual, Astrid was riding her, as well as Hiccup, so he could monitor the riders better on the air. He was sitting on the opposite side, his back touching Astrid's so he could see the other riders behind the Nadder.

"Move, Fishlegs! Ruff, Tuff, stop playing around, you're gonna confuse Barf and Belch, just fly in a straight line, you can play later… Snotlout, sit straight, you can't keep a good balance like that! Gustav, focus! You don't wanna be shot or get your dragon shot!" Hiccup sighed after yelling orders all day. He leaned back to get the girl's attention. "See what I mean? How could they be ready to fight on dragons like that?"

"Oh, come on, you're being too harsh with them. They can't be that bad."

"That's because you don't have my view from where you're sitting…"

"Watch out!" She screamed and shifted to the side as Stormfly made an abrupt turn to the right. Astrid helped Hiccup keep his balance with an arm behind her, which he grabbed for support.

Soon Hiccup saw the reason for Stormfly's turn as a Razorwhip came into view, flying so fast the dragon almost lost control. Heather was sitting wrier than Snotlout a few minutes ago, which made Hiccup frown in wonder. His sister locked eyes with him.

"I need to talk to you. Now!" Then, using one hand on the saddle, she directed Windshear to the nearest spot of land below.

"Everyone! I want another lap around the island! Try not to fall, because it'll hurt, if you survive. Fish, you're on the lead and anyone who doesn't follow this Gronckle will be punished!" He yelled quickly and then leaned to the side so Stormfly could follow the Razorwhip. The gang continued their flight.

Stormfly landed and Hiccup jumped off her so fast he almost fell, but managed not to. He ran towards Heather, who had just finished dismounting so slowly it was like she could barely move. Astrid dismounted, too, but left the two to talk, making herself busy as she petted the blue dragon.

"What happened?" He stopped right in front of her. "Are you okay? You're as pale as Odin's ghost." He cupped her face to make her look at him. "Even your lips are pale, didn't you eat anything? We can go to-"

"Brother!" With her right hand, Heather grabbed his cheeks so he'd stop talking. "I need you to pay attention to what I'm going to say. Can you do this?"

He nodded. Heather sighed heavily and gulped, her shaky hand left his chin to cover her mouth for moment, trying to keep whatever was in her stomach to keep in place. He waited, scanning her and trying to guess what was wrong. Her left sleeve was a little stained with blood, but he couldn't see a wound unless he could have a closer look.

"I've been to the Northern Markets, to see if I could get any info while everyone's transporting the dragons. They're already on their way to the new island now… I thought going after them, but I was afraid they could have followed me or something, so I came to you."

"Okay, we've did stuff like that before."

"I found out some stuff about Grimmel. In sum, he apparently wants money to fight the leader of the dragon hunters. At first, I thought it could be because he wanted to take Drago's place, but now, I think it's because Grimmel wants to get rid of all dragons. People were talking about how Grimmel never liked the fact that hunters use the dragons; he's never trusted the reptiles. Us, the Defenders are especially on his way, so I know he'll try to do something against us, even if he needs to join the hunters for a while."

"Oh…" He rubbed his shin. "That would explain some things like how desperate he was to get our ransom money… Maybe he wants an army of his own..."

Through his concentrated eyes, Heather could already see the gears of his mind working.

"And now, the hunters have a new weapon, too. They want to get rid of their enemies once and for all. I think they've been talking to Grimmel for a long time now, because it was probably a bit inspired by him." She took something from her pocket and gave it to him.

Hiccup held the little glass pot against the light, there was a green liquid in it. "And what is it?"

"I don't know." Her voice faltered, making him look at her again. Tears streamed down her face. He shoved the tube in his pocket to cup her face and wipe the tears away with his thumbs.

"It's okay, we're gonna figure it out…" However, Heather leaned forward, embracing him. Hiccup tried to laugh, so nervous he was. He knew there was something wrong, he just didn't know what. "Sis, you're scaring me, what's going on?"

"I've been shot with it." She sniffed and he froze as his heart beat like he was in a marathon.

"What?" He choked the simple question.

"I can barely move or feel my left arm and I'm feeling sick ever since… And I'm so tired…" Her voice trailed off as her legs gave in.

He supported her and Windshear came closer to help. Hiccup could barely breathe or think, but he remembered Gothi, the old lady could certainly help her. He grabbed his sister in his arms and sat on the silver dragon, taking off in a matter of seconds.

Astrid followed the two to the healer's hut on Stormfly, and she helped Hiccup off of the dragon as he held Heather close to him. He barged inside, asking for Gothi's help.

The old woman drew on the floor.

"She's asking what happened." Astrid translated.

"She was poisoned." He answered, putting Heather on the nearest bed. He checked the cut on her sleeve, revealing a nasty wound underneath it. It was swollen and purplish.

"Gothi says it really doesn't seem normal… Was that how she was poisoned?" Astrid kept translating.

"Yes."

"Do you know what they used?"

"No… But I have this." Hiccup grabbed the small pot in his pocked and gave it to Gothi. The old lady analyzed it. He turned his attention back to his sister. "Come on, Heather, talk to me. Are you sure you didn't see anything out of ordinary? Any new plants or something like that?"

"No…" She mumbled.

He turned to the old lady. "Gothi, do you know what this is?" In answer, she shook her head and came closer to examine the girl. "Sis, I need you to think. Are you sure there wasn't anything there that could give us a hint of what it is?"

"No. The poison was already in the pots…" Her voice trailed off. "I lost the axe you made me, I'm sorry."

"I'll make you ten more." He chuckled nervously. "So you had to fight them, right? How did they find out about you?"

"It was after I set some Scauldrons free." She sighed and scanned her memories. "But you can't go there. They'll be ready for you." She reached his nearest hand. "Brother, can I ask you something?"

"Sure. Anything."

"Take care of Windshear for me. You know how lonely and upset she can get…"

He gulped, shaking his head. "No… Don't say that."

"Hiccup, Gothi is asking us to leave for a minute, she needs to tend her." Astrid put a hand on his shoulder and grabbed the small glass pot. "Come on."

He was hesitant, but let the blonde guide him out of the healer's hut. Hiccup was numb, only one word echoed in his mind: no.

"Hiccup…" Astrid called softly.

"I can't lose my sister, Astrid." Tears filled his eyes as he kept shaking his head. "I don't know what to do."

Astrid didn't know what to say, so she embraced him, hoping to make him feel at least a little better with her support. Then, she had an idea and separated, pushing him by the hand.

"Come on, let's talk to Gobber! He knows many kinds of poison, maybe he can figure out what this is."

They ran across the village, trying not to trample people over on their way to the forge. Both barged in, out of breathe and calling the blacksmith's name, who yelled in surprise.

"Don't do that, you two! Don't you know never to scare someone who's dealing with hot stuff?"

"Sorry, it's an emergency…" Hiccup panted.

"Do you know what this is?" She handed Gobber the small pot.

"Hum… poison? Or some weird-looking juice?"

"It's poison, but what kind?"

"How should I know?"

Hiccup's stomach flipped and he left the smith's in a hurry. Astrid followed him. Even Gobber, now curious, was after the two.

"Wait, what are you gonna do?"

"What I should have done earlier, I'll get Windshear and head to the Northern Markets to figure out what this is."

Astrid's jaw dropped.

"Hiccup, you can't do that!"

"Why not?" He stopped and turned to look at her; his voice rising. "Why shouldn't I go there?! She needs an antidote and she needs it _now_!"

"Because Heather's right, she wouldn't say that they'd be ready for you if she didn't have a reason for it."

"I don't care!"

"What are you talking about, lad?" Gobber asked, catching up to them.

"Hiccup!" Stoick's voice reached their ears and soon the chief walked in closer. "There's a silver dragon near the healer's hut. Is that Heather's?"

Hiccup couldn't find his voice to tell his dad what had happened, but he tried for a second before the gang and their dragons loudly land at the plaza.

"Hiccup! You wouldn't believe it, we managed to do a lap around here and although Snotlout complained and all, we did it pretty good and-"

His focus changed from face to face, all asking and talking to him, making the pressure rise until it exploded within him.

"Enough!" He yelled and ran away.

The group was left behind and confused.

"What happened here?" Stoick asked Astrid.

"It's his sister. She arrived a few minutes ago, she's been poisoned at the Northern Markets."

"What? How?" The chief questioned.

"All we know is that she went there, got some info, freed some Scauldrons and then came here." She showed them the glass pot. "This was the poison, but we don't know what this is so we don't know how to block its effects."

"Scauldrons?" Fishlegs asked. "How many?"

"Does it matter?"

"Well, no, it's just that… no, forget it, it's stupid. I'm sorry."

"Fishlegs, what is stupid?" Astrid asked.

"Just a thought that crossed my mind… If Scauldrons were poisonous, it'd make sense that they'd have many there and it would be something quite ironic for hunters to do, poisoning people who like dragons with dragon poison… But Scauldrons don't have it…"

"What are you talking about? Of course they do, lad!" Gobber said before Hiccup could, the boy was still quite in shock to say the least.

"Nope. I'm pretty sure the book of dragons says otherwise."

"The book is wrong." Gobber waved dismissively.

"What are the symptoms?" Astrid asked.

"Hum…" He wondered then counted with his fingers as he remembered. "Sickness, tiredness, limb numbness, eventually fever and confusion. The person that's been poisoned by a Scauldron won't last more than three days." When he finished, Astrid was already running after Hiccup, again.

She reached him before he'd take off with Windshear, briefly telling him of what she had found out. "So, let's see if we can find out anything about an antidote." She pulled him before he could have time to insist on going to the Northern Markets.

Astrid, Hiccup, Stoick, Gobber and Fishlegs went to the chief's house so they could talk about it. All around a table with books and maps on it.

"I've dealt with Scauldrons before, I know they have poison…" Gobber gulped. "But I don't know of any antidote…"

"But we do." Hiccup rubbed his chin as he remembered a book he had read at the defenders. He murmured out loud as he thought. "Scauldrons are interesting dragons, they aren't allergic to Blue Oleander like other dragons, its poison can help a sick dragon and its poison can be annulated with a mix of some medicines and dragon root."

"Oh, I've read about this in the book of dragons! We had some here, but once our ancestors discovered they made dragons angry, they destroyed it. I mean, no reason for having angrier dragons around, right?"

"True, we don't either…" Hiccup's voice trailed off, his eyes scanning the maps on the table. Then his heart nearly stopped and he leaned over them. "No… No, no, no!"

"What?"

"All the dragon root I know of is in hunter's territory. They use it so it's easier to catch them. They'd be ready for us. I guess that's what Heather meant earlier… Shit! If Toothless was here, I could just take off on him and go there. He's strong and powerful and I'm sure we'd be able to get one. Hunters are good, but not that much, we always managed them, that is until this Grimmel guy showed up!"

Stoick lowered his head. "I'm sorry about that… He wouldn't have been involved if it weren't for me."

"That's not true. Trader Johan brought the news because the hunters were already talking about him. It was only a matter of time until he'd get involved in it." Astrid reasoned.

"That doesn't matter right now. We need to know what to do from here. Are you sure that's no dragon root anywhere else?"

"Yes. We usually destroy them because they make dragons aggressive." Gobber said.

Hiccup sighed, trying to think more clearly. "Yes... And actually, I'd probably not even be able to get it if Toothless were here, after all… Only Boulder Class dragons aren't affected by it."

"Like… a Gronckle?" Fishlegs timidly raised a hand.

"Yes. Wait, Are you volunteering to go?"

"Why not? I feel like I owe you for treating you so poorly when we were kids. If I can go on a trip to get a plant to save your sister, I think this is the least I could do."

Hiccup shook his head. "No… They'll be ready for you. The dragon roots are on hunters territory… Unless." He grabbed the map and a charcoal, tracing down some islands on the blank space out of the Archipelago. "There's an island I found out a while ago, I called it The Edge. We found it because there were some dragons fighting on it and even Toothless seemed a bit different when we got there. I'm pretty sure it could be because of dragon root, but we barely had time to explore it. The hunters probably don't know about this island because it's quite far away, but you'll have to cross their territory to get there, but you should be safe if you fly high enough and avoid their islands and ships."

"Wait, but I can't let Fishlegs go alone. Don't we have any other Boulder Class dragon on the island?" Stoick asked.

"There's a Hotburple." Fishlegs said.

"Okay, so who can ride it?"

"I'll go, Stoick. If we encounter any hunters, I'll know what to do." Gobber smiled and nodded.

* * *

**So, that's the end for a quite long chap... I hope you all liked it! Maybe the pacing was a bit rushed, but I really want to finish it in 30 chaps, I think this fic, although good, is getting way too long and I think all good things must come to an end... **

**I wanna know about you, what do you think of the chap? Heather's discovery; Astrid helping and supporting Hiccup, the conversation as the end, I wanna know everything! hehehe **

**I especially want to know your opinion on Grimmel's true motivation. My Grimmel is not exactly like the one in the movie, but he's quite similar, as you can see. At the beginning, with the ransom, I was afraid people would only think of him as a greedy villain, and it's not the case. He has a reason for that and I needed to show it before we got to the end. And now they must stop Grimmel if they wants the dragons to be safe, because Grimmel doesn't want to be only the Night Fury killer, his goal is now something new, he wants to be the Dragons killer, as you probably noticed by Heather's info... **

**Please, leave your comment down below and tell me what are your thoughts on it all! Have a nice week and see you next Sunday! :D **


	28. Chapter 28

**Im so sorry it's taking me so long to update, but I've been quite busy... **

**Btw, I've also been having some troubles with chap 29, so it might also take a while, but I a;ready have the draft of chap 30 and the epilogue written, so it might be pretty quick to update after chap29! Be patient for a little longer! **

**So now, answering your reviews: **

**HG4EVER69: Thanks! :D **

**Quartz Rider: I don't mind you asking or wishing for it, I want more Hiccstrid, too, but I don't want to put it if it feels forced and right now, they're too busy and worried with other things for it to be natural... But it'll come eventually! **

**CB73: Oh, yeah, Grimmel is really the kind of person to triple-cross or even more! In fact, he'd probably be already searching for people who aren't loyal to their boss to bribe them to his side... Anyway, thank you so much for reviewing and enjoy the new chap! :D **

**CHSHiccstrid: Exactly the story might e good and I really like it, but it needs to come to an end... And it'll soon! And who knows, maybe you'll get your wishes... or maybe not... hehehe **

**Silvolde: Let's hope for dear Heather! And thanks! :D **

**Calvin: I see you really liked this concept for Grimmel, right? And yeah, I think he'd be this kind of person, even though it's not the focus on this story. Maybe on another one, who knows? **

**Luna Nightrider: Thanks so much and you're lucky, here's the next chap the same day you reviewed! :D **

**Thank you all so much for reviewing, it means so much to me! **

**Enjoy the chap! :D **

* * *

_Shadow and Silver_

_Chapter 28_

"Sis…" Hiccup called softly and the half-asleep girl opened her eyes. "Hey. How are you feeling now?"

"Still sick."

He brushed her dark long bangs away from her face. "But you'll be fine."

She grabbed his shirt. "No. You can't go. I heard them, they'll be ready to ambush you."

"It's okay. We know something they don't. Fishlegs and Gobber went to get it. Don't worry. But now, I need to know where mom and the defenders head off to. Do you know?"

"A deserted island to the North. I have a map on Windshear's saddle."

"Good, thanks."

Stoick entered the healer's hut and sighed as his eyes fell on Heather. "She shouldn't stay here as if didn't have a home to go to. I left a bed on the living room for Heather. She should stay with us there."

She nodded in agreement and so Stoick took his daughter in his arms to take her home. Hiccup said he'd see Windshear and meet them there later.

"Are you sure I won't bother you here?" She asked once they entered the chief's house and he gently placed her on the bed near the lit hearth.

"Of course not. You're my daughter; even if I didn't know you existed a few days ago…"

"You know… You're not as bad as our first encounter lead me to believe."

"Yeah, sorry about that… But I've learned my lesson. My hatred almost made me kill my own son."

"I've always wanted to meet you."

"Really?"

"Hiccup would often tell me stories about you. Tell me what you were like."

"And… what about Valka?"

"Mom would tell me, too. Especially when I was a kid. But I could tell how much she missed you and it hurt her, so I didn't ask her as much. Then I met Hiccup and made him tell me more stuff."

"I see. So Valka really didn't have another man?"

"Just as much as you had other women, judging by what Hiccup told me."

He smiled. "Well, we can be a family now."

Her green eyes were filled with tears.

"I'm scared…" Her voice broke. "I didn't tell Hiccup because I don't want to worry him, but I am. I'm always tired, but I'm afraid I won't wake up when I close my eyes." She sniffed.

"You don't have to worry, my dear. We found a safe place to retrieve the antidote and you'll be fine. You just need to be stronger for a little while."

"Anyway, I'm glad I got to meet you now." She grabbed his hand.

Stoick wiped away the tears that ran down her face and gave her a light kiss on her forehead.

* * *

Hiccup didn't see any purse on Windshear's saddle like the way Heather usually let it attached there. He also didn't see any maps in the saddle compartments. Getting frantic, he started searching for it again, making Windshear eye him, confused.

"Hiccup? Is everything okay?" Astrid came closer.

"Not really… I… I can't find Heather's purse, which had a map in it."

Astrid petted Stormfly by her side. "Let me guess, a map to the Defender's new and temporary island?"

"Exactly… And considering she had to fight at the Northern Markets, it's likely that it could have fallen there when they were escaping."

"It could also have fallen into the ocean in all the way between here and there or maybe even before she had landed on their island."

"With my luck, I'm not so sure about it. Anyway, I think it's better safe than sorry. We need to find them and warn about this possibility. It will also be a great opportunity to practice flying some more. The gang needs lots of it if we're gonna engage them on battle…" He sighed. "Besides, I need to go see mom and tell her about Heather."

Astrid reached for his hand and squeezed it. "Well, Stormfly can track them down, right?"

"Possibly. Even though she's not yet trained, her natural instincts were impressive. But we need to try to have her search for them midway, if we go from here, she might want to follow the trace she already knows that will lead us to the Defender's island." He crossed his arms and leaned on Windshear, taking a moment to consider the next steps. "Go tell the gang to get ready. We're living in half an hour… I just need to talk to Heather, first."

"Okay… are you telling her about the map?"

"No way. I'm just telling her I need to talk to mom, which is true. I can't make her feel guilty on the top of everything."

Astrid agreed and mounted the Nadder that quickly took off so she could find the rest of the gang. Hiccup and Windshear entered in Stoick's house.

"Hey, sis." He began, sitting on the bed by her side. Heather was barely awake and Gothi was there, too. "I'll be away for a little while, okay? I'll be back as soon as I can." He squeezed her hand, reassuringly. "Don't worry, Gothi and Windshear will take good care of you."

She nodded and then he left the house, quickly being followed by Stoick.

"What is this about?"

"I need to find mom and tell her about Heather… And warn them that their location might have been compromised… So I'm going with the gang and we can run some drills on the way."

"Then I'll go with you. And I'll be sure to order Spitelout to ready the ships, so if we need to go fight, we'll be there."

"Don't you want to be with Heather?"

"I do. More than anything. But I want and need to be there for you and your mom, too. Besides, if their location have been compromised and if we find the hunters on the way, you might need some help."

Hiccup agreed. They departed minutes later.

* * *

It was taking them a while to find the island. Although Hiccup was good with maps, he didn't have the exact location, so they had to hop from place to place to try and find it while checking on the gang all the time. He even regretted his decision to bring them all, but there was no turning back now.

Stormlfy also didn't understand them and when they tried to make her look for them, she'd end up following the known scent, and Hiccup had to stop her every time he realized she was going back to the same island.

But alas, they finally saw a few ships docked near a deserted island; many dragons had landed or were flying around.

Hiccup jumped off Stormfly as soon as they landed and soon spotted Mala, asking her where Valka was. She was in one of the tents they had just built.

"Good, so you might want to come as well… We have a lot to talk." He barely finished the sentence and was 'attacked' by a black dragon that came running to him. The Night Fury nudged and licked him; Hiccup couldn't help but smile. "I missed you too, Bud." He embraced the dragon and gently petted him.

He glanced at the marks of the torture the dragon had endured. They had healed a little, but Toothless was not back on his feet, yet. He could tell by how the dragon moved still in constant pain and slower than usual.

The gang was left to rest and take care of their dragons; Astrid stayed with them. Meanwhile, Hiccup, Stoick, Mala and Throk went to the tent Valka was in.

"Son!" Valka walked to him and hugged the boy. "How did you find us?"

Hiccup gulped and looked down. "There's something I need to tell you, mom…"

So he summarized what Heather found out and what had happened to her and their plan to save her.

"My baby girl…" Valka said in a whisper.

"We can't stay here." Mala stated.

"Why don't you all come to Berk?" Stoick asked. "The island is big enough for everyone, even the dragons, at least for a while. And we'll be all safe there."

"It pains me to say, but I'm afraid we do not have another option. We shall sail to Berk immediately." Mala decided.

"Hiccup!" The twins yelled as they barged in. Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"Yes?"

Tuffnut rubbed his chin. "We were wondering, is the drawing of a strange swords with little details around it a bad thing on a sail?"

"Maybe, it could be the hunters, why?"

"Oh, it's because we were walking around the island and we saw three ships like that coming our way." Ruffnut answered.

Hiccup's heart sank and he ran outside. On the horizon, he could see three big ships coming closer; their sales had the symbol of the dragon hunters.

"Throk, we need to get ready. Everyone over thirteen needs to be ready to fight."

"Yes, my Queen." He bowed and ran away.

"I'll take the children and the baby dragons away from here." Valka said and found Cloudjumper to help her out. Stoick went after her.

"What do we do?" Astrid asked Hiccup as she neared them, knowing something was wrong.

"Well…" He wondered for a moment, however, large boulders had been catapulted in their direction from the ships.

People screamed everywhere. One of the boulders was heading toward the group until a plasma blast hit it, turning the large rock into smaller and less harmful pieces. Hiccup saw Toothless's attention straight to the incoming ships.

"No, Bud, you're in no condition to fight. You need to go with my mom and get out of here." The dragon cooed. "No, bud. I can't risk you getting more hurt or worse. You're in no condition to fight, now, go!"

Reluctantly, the Night Fury lowered his head and walked away, cooing.

"Now, Astrid, Snotlout, Gustav and Twins, I have a really important job for you guys. You're gonna have to cover our people; mount your dragons and disable the hunter's catapults, create chaos in those ships, I want destruction. Got it?"

"Aye, sir!" the twins were the most eager to reply after 'destruction'.

"Good. And whatever you do, don't get hit by an arrow or let your dragon get hit, remember they're probably poisoned, any small cut will be enough to make you sick." The group nodded then mounted to take off.

"How could they have gotten here so fast?" Mala wondered with Hiccup.

"Maybe the Deathgrippers pulled the ships? At least part of the way?"

"It is possible, but where are they, then?"

"Maybe they're too tired to come… Or maybe Grimmel is waiting for some reason. He must have a plan… But he's not coming here…" He looked at the environment, there was a mountain quite like the one on Berk, tall and overlooking the island. "Mala, do you know if there's any of my spare suits around here?"

"I believe your mother brought a chest with it to the tent."

"Good."

"What are you planning to do, Hiccup Haddock?"

"While the gang is covering our people, it will be the perfect distraction form e to get in one of those ships."

"Well, be careful out there, Hiccup."

Boats full of hunters left the ships and were already nearing the shores, but the Defenders fighters were ready to counter their attack, already firing arrows at them. The battle has begun.

"Thanks, Mala. You too."

* * *

**So that's it for this chap! I hope you'll find the next one interesting, emotional and full of action, because that's what Im aiming for as I'm writing it... **

**As I said, chap29 is being quite difficult, but once I'm done with it, the rest will be posted within days, so please be patient for a little longer! **

**What were your thoughts on this chap? I'd like to know especially the moments between father-daughter, I really wanted to put a moment like this before the end... **


	29. Chapter 29

**I'm so sorry it took me so long, but I've been busy... I hope you haven't given up on this story already, but we're almost at the end! **

**So, first, answering your reviews! **

**Silvolde: Thanks so much for reviewing so quickly and it's an honor that you'll take notes from me to write your battle, I'm so happy you like my writing that much! I hope it'll be useful and good luck with your battle scene! **

**CB73: Yeah, a lot is going on and most of your questions will be answered in this chap! Enjoy the reading! **

**guest: Thanks!**

**QuartzRider: I'm glad you're excited for the final battle and I hope it'll be good enough! **

**CHSHiccstird: Thank you! I'm really happy you like it that much and you feel as if it's real, that means a lot! About the Hidden World, it's not gonna be part of this story because we're almost at the end and I can't put it in the last moments since I won't have time to develop it. About a sequel, I had some thoughts on it, though it's probably not happening, I'm sorry... I'll explain it better at the end of the next chap or maybe at the epilogue... **

**Luna Nightrider: I'm glad you review it, even if it's days after, thank you so much! I enjoyed writing it and I hope you will while reading it! **

**Guest! Thanks! **

**I really gave my all so this would be a good chap, I hope you'll all enjoy it and tell me your thoughts at the end! :D**

* * *

Shadow_ and Silver_

_Chapter 29_

Back on Berk, an exhausted Gronckle and Hotburple landed on the village. Fishlegs dismounted in a hurry, carrying a big green root. He searched for Gothi and found the old lady in the chief's house with Heather.

Fishlegs handed Gothi the dragon root and as she prepared the antidote for Heather to drink, she ordered Fishlegs to check on the half-awake girl.

"Hum… Hi. Heather, right?" She nodded in response. "Good. I'm Fishlegs and I just came back with the antidote for you."

She squinted. "How?"

"Oh, it was not a problem at all. We just flew to The Edge and got some dragon root, no big deal. I mean, after we had to calm down a Monstrous Nightmare and a Razorwhip that were fighting near it, we managed to retrieve it and come back."

Heather chuckled. "That seems impressive. It's quite hard to calm down the dragon under the effect of dragon root."

Fishlegs blushed. "No big deal… I just used what Hiccup taught us…"

"That's nice… tell me more about it."

He smiled and began telling the story.

* * *

Stormfly dodged the arrows and flying boulders with ease, so Astrid and her dragon helped to cover the others, who weren't so dexterous as the two girls.

They spotted a place the hunters were keeping their weapons, especially the poisoned arrows. Astrid pointed to the Nadder and she complied, firing at it.

Astrid boomed in happiness, adrenaline and joy mixing in a way that only battling could do, but even more so on the back of a dragon. They headed for the next target: a catapult. Stormfly was getting ready to fire again when a black dragon hit her, throwing her rider off her back and onto the ship.

The Nadder angrily screeched at the Deathgripper and dodged the attack of its tail in the nick of time. The blue dragon fired at the enemy and shot some spines, only one harmed the Deathgripper that roared at her. Then, the smart Nadder flew away, having the black dragon follow her.

Meanwhile, Astrid grabbed the ropes attached to a mast of the ship. Her axe was still on Stormfly's saddle. She managed to go up and wait at the top of the mast, but she didn't have anywhere to go. She couldn't go down to fight without a weapon and could fly away.

The only thing the blonde warrior had was Hiccup's dagger tucked in her boot. She grabbed it and since she was up there, she cut the sail, hoping it would at least distract the hunters so the gang could attack them more easily. Once the hunters noticed she was there, they started shooting at her, which created an opportunity for the other riders to get closer and destroy the catapults on the ship. Astrid was sure to dodge all the arrows.

On the air, Stormfly flew as fast as she could, trying to get rid of the Deathgripper following her, she even shot some spines on the dragon behind her, but she only scratched it. So the Nadder flew closer to the ships, not firing at the catapults. One of the boulders swooshed past too close to the Deathgripper, making its flight unstable for just a moment long enough for Stormfly to catch the dragon with her claws and throw the dragon on the land.

Stormfly then went after her rider, finding Astrid on a mast of a ship. The Nadder fired at the hunters on the deck and flew right beneath where Astrid was. The girl took the opportunity and didn't even think twice before she jumped on the dragon's back. Stormfly went straight up and out of arrow range.

Another Deathgripper flew past them close enough to harm them, if Stormfly hadn't turned right before it's claw swooshed at them. Astrid looked at the black, dangerous dragon, an idea already forming in her head. She smiled.

"Do you think you can shot spines on command at a specific place?" The dragon chirped. "Oh, what am I talking about, of course you can!" She giggled. "Come on, Stormfly, we can still win this thing."

Astrid leaned and Stormfly turned, following the Deathgripper. "I need you to hit it in the harness, girl. On its head." Then she leaned forward and pointed at the glass tubes attached to the dragon's head.

Stormfly didn't really understand her, but she complied and shot spines at it. The spines hit and broke the tubes and even scratched the dragon. Astrid's suspicions were confirmed when the Deathgripper moved its head as if it was trying to wake from a long slumber. The control on the dragon was gone and it didn't attack them anymore, it just flew away, scared.

"Yes!" Astrid yelled in joy. "Now let's spread the word!" So she flew to Gustav, the nearest dragon rider she could find.

* * *

As soon as Mala bid farewell to Hiccup and he ran inside the tent, she grabbed her sword and headed to the battle.

Driven by the anger of what the hunters have done to the dragons through the years, Mala ended up killing and knocking out many of them quite quickly and even briefly met Throk on the battlefield.

A few meters away from where she stood, she saw Krogan. She knew who he was by his description and skills; she had seen him only a couple of times in the past and it had been way too briefly. Mala anxiously clutched the handle of her bloodstained sword and moved towards him.

Krogan wasn't sure of who she was, but like her, he could recognize her by descriptions and clothes. He charged, thrusting his sword at her. She blocked it and swung her blade to counterattack. Wasting no time, Krogan was quick to dodge and advance against her. Mala, however, would not yield and blocked his advances even faster.

She was so eager in her blows he had to back away a few steps. So invested in her actions, she barely noticed as he glanced behind her shoulder, and gave a signal to someone.

"Mala! Behind you!" Throk's voice reached the Queen's ears.

The loyal defender ran to her aid, yet, he was a second too late. As Mala looked back to a new threat, a blade pierced through her stomach from behind. Soon, another one came from in front of her. She didn't have time to react.

Throk was taken by a burning rage and swung his sword through the hunter's neck and then thrust his blade through Krogan's chest. It was so fast Krogan barely had time to get his sword out of Mala's body before he instantly died when his heart was sliced in half.

He knelt by her side, apologizing to his Queen for not being able to protect her on time, even though she was already gone.

* * *

Hiccup left the tent as soon as he could, now wearing his armor and a standard sword on his left hand. Inferno was on its place on his leg.

He'd fight anyone that crossed his path, but his goal wasn't battling there, it was to get on those ships and get rid of Grimmel once and for all. The only way he could get there, though, since he'd already sent the riders to the skies and they were too busy, was to fly there with his own wings. To do that, he only needed a high place to jump from. So, he ran to the mountain, getting further from the battle.

"Leaving so soon?" A known voice called, making Hiccup stop. "And here I thought you'd actually fight to save your lizard friends!"

A known hunter stood just a few meters away; his name was on the tip of Hiccup's tongue.

"It's Eret, aren't I right?"

"So what?"

"Why are you still with them?" Hiccup insisted. "I told you on the ship. Dragons are not dangerous, they are not what you think they are."

"Of course they are dangerous!"

"Only if you attack first. Only if you want to harm them or something they love. Once you've earned their loyalty, there's nothing a dragon wouldn't do for you." He sighed, gripping the handle hard, even though he didn't want to use it. "Just let me show you."

"No… This is impossible. It doesn't make any sense!" Eret kept saying, though Hiccup could sense he faltered. "Besides, I have no choice!"

"We always have a choice."

Eret huffed. "You wouldn't understand." Then, he charged at him.

Hiccup readied himself to block it, but it wasn't even necessary as a plasma blast hit the ground between them, causing Eret to fall backward. Hiccup knew that kind of fire very well, so he didn't even search for its source, unlike Eret. His eyes widened at the sighed of the Night Fury that still had nasty bruises and cuts all over his body.

"What? But… How? How is this dragon still standing after what he's been through?"

Toothless came closer, glaring at Eret. The dragon stopped by Hiccup's side.

"That's what I mean with 'a dragon will do anything for you', Eret. This is a dragon's true nature. They love and protect."

"I don't understand…" He stood up, sword in hand in front of him, but he was so surprised he wasn't going to attack for the moment.

"No, you don't. But maybe you will, if you open your mind to it, in the future." Then Hiccup signaled Toothless with his hand and the dragon complied by swinging his tail on Eret with such strength the hunter flew against a tree and fell knocked out on the ground. Toothless warbled at Hiccup, showing his tail, but Hiccup shook his head. "No, bud. I can't risk you like this. You're in no condition to fight or to fly with me on your back, so go and hide!" He finished, pointing away." Toothless insisted. "No, bud. I can't lose you, too! Heather is sick and I can't worry about you as well. Now, go."

Reluctantly, the Night Fury went away. Hiccup sighed sadly and then he walked up the mountain. He climbed up just enough, panting as he took a moment to see the battle from above. The dragons were now fighting alongside the Defenders and Hiccup couldn't explain how, but he knew in his bones Toothless had something to do with it; if he weren't going to fight, he'd at least urge the other dragons to do so, even though most dragons had gone away.

Hiccup took a deep breath as he aimed at the ships. Grimmel had to be in one of those. Hiccup had never flown by himself such a distance and without Toothless, however, he wouldn't make Toothless carry him and the other dragons were too busy or too confused to help. It was up to him, now.

He ran to the cliff and jumped, opening his suit's wings. The wind carried him down fast and gently.

One the ground, Valka, Stoick and the dragons they ride were guiding the children and baby dragons away from the conflict. That was until something small and dark caught Stoick's attention.

"Is that a person?"

Valka followed his sight. "Yes. It's our son." She smiled at how astounded he looked.

"How can he fly without a dragon?"

"It's more like soaring. He has a flight suit he built so he could fly alongside Toothless. Don't worry, he knows what he's doing."

"How can you be so calm? Our son is falling… Flying, I mean, soaring…"

Valka put a gentle hand on his cheek to make him look at her.

"I trust him. Besides, soon you'll get used to it. You'll see." Then she kissed him. "Now, let's go. We need to take them to safety." She touched Cloudjumper's head. "Lead them ahead, we'll stay behind to watch out for them and guarantee people won't go after them." The explanation was also for Stoick, who nodded and gripped his axe tighter.

The Night Fury leaped closer to Valka, warbling worriedly.

"Toothless!" She smiled and petted him. "I see, Hiccup didn't want to take you whilst you're still so hurt…"

He grunted sadly. Valka turned to walk after the group, but before she could even take a step further, a different black dragon attacked Toothless. The Night Fury dodged the Deathgripper's strike almost too slow and hissed against the enemy.

Never in his life Stoick imagined he'd end up defending a dragon, let alone a Night Fury! But there he was, attacking the Deathgripper with his axe, protecting Toothless because Stoick knew how much the dragon meant for his son.

The green Rumblehorn Stoick had ridden understood the new black dragon was a threat and attacked the Deathgripper, only to have the dragon pierce him with its pointy tail, making the Rumblehorn dizzy.

"Shh… Calm down…" Valka whispered softly, reaching out for the Deathgripper. She was sure she could calm it down enough to get the harness out of it. Toothless gathered up smoke in his mouth to attack, but Valka raised her other hand to stop him. He complied with the signal and waited in a ready stance. "Hey, boy… Come here…"

But the Deathgripper narrowed his eyes and Stoick knew it'd attack her.

"Valka!" He yelled as he pushed her away at the same time the Deathgripper has had enough and jolted its tail further, faster than Night Fury.

Toothless's anger boiled up and he again prepared a strong plasma blast at the dragon. The Deathgripper was hit with such intensity it was thrown away and fell dizzy on the ground. Toothless groaned triumphantly, that was until he heard Valka's shriek, pain all over her voice.

She was hunched over Stoick on the floor, a big gash on his chest, stained in red. The Deathgripper's pointy tail had managed to pierce his heart before Toothless shot the dragon. Stoick could hardly breathe as he looked up at Valka.

Her shaky hands stroked his cheeks as she softly spoke his name. Tears streamed down her face.

Stoick slowly raised a hand to cup her face and she grabbed it, holding it against her skin. He whispered something she grasped as "I love you…" then his hand became heavier and fell down. His eyes lost focus and he stopped breathing.

Toothless warbled sadly and gently nudged him, then went over to Valka, doing the same to show her support. She sobbed and leaned further on her husband's body, letting herself cry.

* * *

**Initially, I thought about killing Valka, to make it different from HTTYD2, but I ended up changing my mind so I could make some different things by the end of the fic, you'll see what I mean when you get there. **

**BTW, I know that the thing with Fishlegs, Gobber and the antidote was quite "rushed", but really, it'd be simple and pretty standard, so I didn't want to show all of it, it wouldn't be necessary, so I chose to cut directly to the main action. If you thought it was too soon for Fishlegs and Gobber to come back, you can consider it happened later, but I put it at the beginning of the chapter because I didn't want to deviate the attention from the main action now. I hope you'll understand and like it anyway! **

**I guess it was quite an emotional chapter (I hope), a lot of things happened and I usually think I suck at death scenes, but I hope Stoick's death was good enough and emotional enough to make everyone at least a bit sad... Oh, and about Mala's death, I know it was quite short and all, but it wasn't meant to be emotional, especially because she barely appeared in this fic, so you all probably wouldn't be attached to her anyway... **

**So, please review and tell me what were your thoughts on this chap and the fic so far! It's almost at the end and although I'm busy, I'm doing everything I can to post the best chaps I can as fast as I can! **

**Next chap is comming probably on Wednesday, though if I get a lot of reviews, I'll try to post it sooner! :D**


	30. Chapter 30

**So many wonderful reviews! Thanks, guys, it means a lot to me! :D**

**Since I got so many reviews, I'm happy to post this chap sooner than I had ****expected! Now, answering your reviews: **

**The Golden Valkyrie: Yeah, I know... Sorry, but that happens sometimes, in battle... u.u**

**Silvolde: It's okay, some people don't really get emotional while reading, but to cry is not the only way to get emotional, what I meant was ask if the readers felt something while reading. I don't feel like I'm so good at writing death scenes, so I'm still improving. Anyway, thanks for the feedback, it was nice to know the battle scene was good! But btw, Valka wasn't the one to die, it was Stoick... **

**Dinochickrox: Thank you so much! I was really hoping the last chap to be a rollercoaster! Ready or not, enjoy the chap! :D **

**Luna Nightrider: I was aiming for intense, lol... And yeah, killing two people in one chap was a lot, but since I wanted to finish it in 30 chaps (plus an epilogue), it had to be done. I'm a Heathlegs shipper, too (if you couldn't tell, lol), and yeah, that scene was cute, although not romantic, and it couldn't really be romantic, they had barely spoken to each other, yet. So, for your question, I just answered it and I'm super happy you enjoy this fic so much you want to re-read it! :D **

**sup8pdct: Yeah, I did, sorry... And your radar is right, it's Heathlegs wight there! I really liked this couple in RTTE and I'd have loved to see Heather next to Fishlegs in the third movie at Hiccstrid wedding... You're right, She won't have another chance to bond with Stoick... And they hardly had the time to talk at all... This is so sad, but needed to be done... u.u **

**Quartz Rider: Exactly, it's quite sad that Toothless couldn't really join in the battle, but he had no condition to do so, even though he wanted to. I'm glad you liked the chap and the showdown between Hiccup and Grimmel is happening in this chap! Enjoy! :D **

**CHSHiccstrid: Yeah, many deaths... I'm glad you like the chap, nonetheless. I also would want not to kill either of them, but it just wouldn't be as deep otherwise. I guess Mala didn't show up enough to make people get attached to her, I understand, I'd have liked to show her a bit more and her relationship with Valka and Throk, but this fic was already getting way too long and I didn't want it... I'm really happy you liked the way I put Fishlegs and Gobber's part, thank you so much for your feedback! :D **

**HG4EVER69: Thanks! :D **

**CB73: Indeed... Grimmel deserved it... :/**

**Just so you know, this is the last chap of the story, after it, there's only an epilogue. So, enjoy the chap! :D **

**WARNING: if it wasn't obvious already, there's violence in this chap, but it's still rated T. I just wanted to give a heads up for everyone who is sensible. **

* * *

_Shadow and Silver _

_Chapter 30_

Stormfly had another Deathgripper following her, but this time, that was what Astrid and the Nadder wanted, although the dragon was already out of spines and fire now. Astrid glanced up at the hovering Zippleback and smiled.

Stormfly flew around beneath the dragon, the Deathgripper followed, being surprised by two humans that jumped on it. The Deathgripper growled, but after doing it a couple of times, Ruff and Tuff were quick in taking off the dragon's harness, ending its mind control.

The twins then let go of the black fleeing dragon and fell down until they were caught by two Monstrous Nightmares.

"This is crazy!" Snotlout yelled at top of his lungs, on the brink of losing his mind.

"I know, right!" Tuff exclaimed enthusiastically as Hookfang carried him to Barf and Belch. "This is awesome and scary!" he laughed.

Astrid playfully rolled her eyes at them and searched for another Deathgripper. Ruff and Tuff were back on the Zippleback, searching for the next target. A small black human shape flew past them, but in the confusion of the battle, avoiding arrows and boulders, only Astrid saw that and she knew it was Hiccup, it could only be him doing something this crazy.

"Aaahhh! My dragon was hit! Fanghook was hit! Help!" Gustav yelled as his dragon lost control and fell down because of a stun dart that had reached his leg.

"Ruff, Tuff, help him! Snotlout, we need to cover them!"

The Zippleback grabbed the falling Nightmare and flew them back to the island in a quite safe place.

"Snotlout, let's try to sink those ships! Now!"

"How?" They're enormous and probably very reinforced…"

"I don't know, just find a way to do it!" She said and then flew to one of the ships, at least, by then, most catapults were already destroyed.

* * *

Hiccup grabbed a rope and landed on the deck of the third and last ship. Most hunters had already gone o the beach, especially because the catapults there had been completely destroyed, with their debris scattered all over the wooden floor along with weapons left behind. The hunters that remained on the ship were unconscious, probably they had been hit with falling debris.

Something swooshed passed him and Hiccup dodged at the last second. He didn't even try to look what it was or where it came from, he just threw himself behind barrels on the main deck. He peeked over it; Grimmel stood at the end of the ship, aiming his crossbow at him. Hiccup ducked again, avoiding another stun dart, shot at him.

Hiccup needed to get that crossbow out of Grimmel's hands…

"Well, look if it isn't the Night Fury rider… I knew you'd try to find me. And it's a good thing, saves me the effort of going after you to kill you." He laughed. "It's part of why I sent people away from here. I wanted you to come and fall right into my trap."

There was a fallen sword within reach and Hiccup grabbed it, trying to use its tip as a mirror to see where Grimmel was. He kept silent, listening to Grimmel. Although Hiccup couldn't find his opponent, he knew he was moving once he walked on a noisy wood board.

"The men from the Northern Markets told me they hit Silver, and considering she's not fighting here; it's true. She's probably dead already. Did you like that poison? It was my idea to poison the arrows, you know… Great way to get rid of all of you. And don't even think about finding an antidote, the most important ingredient is safely guarded by hunter troops. Our boss has many resources."

"But you don't agree with him either." He said, remembering what Heather had told him. He glanced at what was happening outside, the other two ships seemed fuller and the gang was still busy fighting them and covering the Defenders on the shore. Wild dragons were fighting, defending the humans that had helped them before.

"No, I don't. He thinks he can control and use the dragons, but he can't. He has a very limited mind. Dragons should be exterminated, that's the only way humans will be safe."

"You're a hypocrite, you use dragons, too!"

Hiccup looked around, he couldn't see Grimmel, but his voice sounded closer, he was nearing him and Hiccup couldn't be there when he'd get there. Hiccup silently crawled away, using the debris to cover him from Grimmel's view.

"It's different. I use them because it's easier and faster to hunt other dragons, then. They're means to an end. Besides, I know what I'm doing, I use their own venom; they don't have their free will. Or at least I was doing it before your stupid friends had set them free. I don't care though. They're expendable and I'll get others to hunt down your Night Fury friend and all the other dragons."

Hiccup moved unseen behind fallen pieces of what was once a catapult. A layer of sweat covered Hiccup's face, making his hair stick to his forehead under the helmet as he hid, peeking to see Grimmel. He was a few meters away, heading towards the barrels Hiccup had used as cover.

He took in a deep breath, preparing himself then jumped out of his hiding place, Inferno's handle firmly in his grasp. Grimmel didn't expect him to come from behind, yet he turned fast, aiming the crossbow on Hiccup. He pulled the trigger, but the dragon rider knew it'd come and dodged the flying projectile.

In a few quick steps, Hiccup had gotten close enough, igniting and extending Inferno. Before Grimmel could reload, Hiccup snatched he crossbow from his hands by hooking Inferno to the edge of a crossbow and throwing it as far as he could.

Grimmel backed away, whistling so the Deathgrippers would attack. They didn't come; they had all already been set free. Grimmel cursed and drew his sword, already swinging it at Hiccup. Surprised, Hiccup stepped back to avoid being cut, Inferno held out to block the next swing.

Grimmel swung his sword again, Hiccup blocked, but the experienced man simply made his attack into a thrust. His blows kept coming relentlessly. Hiccup blocked all of them but had to back away constantly. With another sharp thrust, Hiccup barely blocked, resulting in a cut on his arm, right beneath the shoulder pads.

Hiccup thought as he analyzed Grimmel's blows. Grimmel had the tendency of going for a thrust on Hiccup's right side, usually less protected since Inferno was on his left hand. He could use this.

With the next blow, Grimmel had aimed the tip of his sword to the center of Hiccup's chest. The dragon rider dodged to the side at the same time as he put Inferno on the blade's path, hooking the opponent's sword between Inferno's blades. Hiccup used surprise and inertia as an advantage in the short moment that he twisted Inferno's handle, flipping the swords to make it slip through Grimmel's fingers.

Hiccup quickly grabbed the enemy's sword before it fell to the floor and in a blink of an eye; he banged the flat part on Grimmel's legs. The impact made him lose his balance and he fell backward.

Hiccup wanted to kill him; he wanted Grimmel dead. However, as he stood there, ready to strike the Night Fury killer, seeing the fear in his eyed, Hiccup hesitated. He wasn't able to kill Toothless when he believed dragons were the enemy and that he wanted everything that killing a dragon would give him. He wasn't able to kill another species who was considered an enemy, so could he kill another human being?

Grimmel took advantage of Hiccup's moment of hesitation and kicked him on his good leg; making him fall. Grimmel snatched Inferno from his grasp and swung at him, but Hiccup blocked it by raising an arm. The fire-y blade met the reinforced armlet and only didn't burn him because of the dragon scales that covered it.

With his free hand, Grimmel punched Hiccup on the stomach, right where he had been shot by Stoick's arrow before. The wave of pain made Hiccup lose his breath and the next thing he knew, Grimmel had already grabbed his sword again and was pressing the tip against Hiccup's neck. The dragon rider didn't move.

Knelt by the boy's side, Grimmel grinned. All he needed was to let the blade forwards a few centimeters and he'd kill his opponent.

"You are a fool to trust those beasts!" Grimmel said.

Hiccup breathed heavily, thinking how could he get away from that situation. He could do it if he kicked Grimmel away and rolled to the side. He positioned himself, slowly, so Grimmel wouldn't notice it as he continued speaking.

"However, I know what is best for everyone and only I alone can save the human race from those pests! Everyone will award me, and those who won't… well; I shall get rid of them all." He scoffed. Hiccup was about to make his move. "You, Berk and the Defenders are all weak, an infection to the human race, petty and savage, so I shall end them as well as the dragons, starting with y-" His sentence ended abruptly.

Grimmel had his eyes lost in the horizon and then he fell face-first to the wooden deck. Hiccup only had time to crawl to he side, so the man wouldn't hit him. On the back of Grimmel's head, the handle of the dagger that had belonged to him stick out of his gray hair.

"Hiccup!" Astrid's voice reached his ears, he searched for the sound, meeting the girl jumping off her Nadder and running towards him. She knelt by his side and threw her arms around him. "Gods! For a moment, I thought I'd lost you again!"

He embraced her back. "I'm fine."

Astrid sighed in relief and stood up, helping him do the same. Hiccup's legs were still shaking a little. He took off his helmet.

"You're bleeding." She pointed out, looking at his arm.

He shrugged, masking his pain with a hint of forced humor. "What else is new?" An absentminded hand covered the painful spot on his stomach; it was still hard to breathe after Grimmel's punch. He looked at Astrid. "You okay?"

"Just minor cuts and bruises. Normal warrior hazards…" She cupped his cheeks. "Hiccup, what were you thinking?"

"Stop him at all costs before he could harm another dragon. Before he could harm Toothless. I almost did it… But I couldn't finish it…" He ran a hand through his sweaty hair. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

"There's nothing wrong with you; it's just not you."

"Yeah, I guess that's the problem."

"I don't see it that way. I wouldn't admire you so much if it was." She smiled at him. "By the way, we've already sunk the other two ships. We need to end that battle; let's go."

She grabbed him by the hand and guided him to Stormfly. Soon they took off.

The hunters yielded once they realized the ships were gone and they were now in a disadvantage. The hunters then sailed away on the remaining ship.

The Defenders organized themselves the best they could, helping the wounded, improvising their nurseries back on their island.

The sun was nearly rising over the horizon when Valka found Hiccup. He had changed his clothes and was now helping the wounded as he still searched for his family, friends, and queen. The news she brought broke his heart.

Later that day, they had gathered the dead on a ship for a funeral.

Tears streamed down Hiccup's face as he shot the lit arrow to the ship. Many followed him, doing the same.

"What do we do now?" Asked a boy just a little younger than Hiccup.

"I don't know… I don't even know what will happen to Berk, too…" His voice trailed off, not wanting to think about any of it. Who would lead both tribes? He shook his head. "We think about it all later." He looked at Throk. First, we need to get ready to leave as soon as we can. Those hunters will most likely get back to the Northern Markets or their base for backup, so we need to be long gone when they return…"

"Not really…" Eret's voice came behind them. "Our boss doesn't really accept failures like that. I doubt anyone will be coming back or they'll all be killed. Maybe they can send a letter if they feel like it, but they'll probably run away from the Archipelago to keep their heads."

"Great, however, it's not like we're believing someone who was left behind…" Throk crossed his arms.

"I wasn't left behind. I wanted to stay" he looked at Hiccup, "because I wanted you to show me dragon's true nature."

"Okay, I guess, but it'll take a while."

"It's not like I have anywhere else to go." Eret shrugged and walked away.

Hiccup sighed, looking at the ship on fire again, he felt an annoying emptiness inside his chest. A gentle hand reached his, intertwining fingers in a way of showing support, even though Astrid also had tears running down her cheeks. They waited on the shore in silence until the ship sunk with their loved ones.

* * *

**So this is the end, but I'll be posting an epilogue that will explain better what happens to our protagonists after it. I hope you'll all like it! **

**I hope you liked the fight against Grimmel! I'm sorry if his death was a bit too abrupt or "Deus-ex Machina" like, but it kinda is and isn't it. I wanted to show that Hiccup is skilled, he could have killed Grimmel and he would end up doing so if Astrid hadn't done it first. Hiccup was very angry at the Night Fury killer and it would take the best of him if they had continued battling, he would be able to leave Grimmel's grasp and fight back (as I showed him already ready to do so). However, I also wanted Astrid to have an importance at the end, so I knew she'd be the one that would end up killing him for a long time. **

**Besides, I also wanted Hiccup's compassion to be a strong quality, but at the same time a great weakness. Astrid, however, she had always been a warrior, killing wouldn't be hard; especially to save someone she cares about. Furthermore, Hiccup would often have Toothless to do the "dirty" job for him, this was one of the first fights that Hiccup had to go through on his own. **

**I don't know if I should have put more stuff after Grimmel's death, but it seemed to me it'd have been just filler, so instead of dwelling on it, I chose to cut it to the ending already… **

**Anyway, see you all on the next and last update of this story! **

**Btw, if you want to talk to me more, find me on Instagram, I'd love to get to know you (AT author . marilia or AT itban . fuyu)! And tell me you're coming from ff . net! **


	31. Epilogue

**I'm actually quite desappointed by the reviews, I mean, it was the last chap, but I gues people didn't really care about it... u.u **

**Btw, if you want to talk to me more, find me on Instagram, I'd love to get to know you (AT author . marilia or AT itban . fuyu)! And tell me you're coming from ff . net!**

**And OMT! I can't believe this is the last update for this story! it's good, but at the same time, it's not, am I making any sense? lol... It was really good while it lasted, I really enjoyed writing it and receiving so many wonderful reviews. Thanks to all of you who reviewed, especially the ones that are here from the beginning, I'm very grateful! **

**So, now, for the last time, here is the answers to your reviews: **

**Silvolde: Oh, I see, no problem, mistakes like that happen all the time! And thank you so much for your compliments, it really made me feel great to know the scene was well written, it's really important for me to know the chap was good! And don't worry, here's the explanation to everything! And thank you so much for following this story from the beginning and reviewing possibly all the chaps, Im glad you enjoyed the reading! :D**

**Luna Nightrider: Me neither! Thank you so much for following this story (and others from me) from the beginning, it means a lot to know people liked my stories that much! And thanks for following me on Insta! (or at least, I think it is, since it has the name Luna Nightrider in the profile, hehehe)**

**CHSHiccstrid: Thank you so much! It means a lot to me! It's really good and satisfying to know you liked the fact that Astrid was the one to kill Grimmel and that Hiccup's strength is also his weakness! And yeah, I don't really like it when people turn him into a ruthless killer too... I mean everyone should view him the way they like it, but it's just so not like him in my opinion... Again, thank you so much and that's probably the last time we speak in this story, so I hope to see you around in more reviews! :D **

**CB73: hehehe, I'm glad to know it worked out in the end! And don't worry, Heather is pretty much saved the moment Fishlegs and Gobber arrived in Berk. An yep, ****exactly! I guess this dichotomy of his heart is something really interesting to explore in stories and it's probably something I'd do if I was to write a sequel, but who know, I might be able to explore it on more stories, too, lol. Again, thank you so much for following this story from the beginning, reviewing almost all (if not all) the chaps! I'm glad you enjoyed the story! :D **

**Guest: Thank you so much!**

**Quartz Rider: I'm glad you liked it and reviewed it! I also wanted their battle to be a it longer, but I didn't know what else to do, lol. And there's plenty of Hiccstrid moments in this epilogue! Btw, they were supposed to kiss on the last cha after Astrid kills Grimmel, but it just didn't feel right, so I decided to take it away... Anyway, enjoy the final part! :D **

**Finally, enjoy the chap! :D **

* * *

_Shadow and Silver_

_Epilogue_

Three weeks later, Toothless and Windshear landed on Berk and their riders dismounted. Fishlegs and Meatlug were the first to come closer; making Heather bit her lower lip and wave at him. Hiccup raised an eyebrow and cleared his throat.

Heather glanced at him. "What?"

"Is there anything going on that I should know?" He held his smile and lowered his voice. "You've never acted like that?"

"What? No. Of course not… But he saved my life, remember?" Her face was hotter than her dragon's fire, and redder than Toothless's fake tailfin.

"Hum…"

"Oh, just shut up and go find Astrid at once…" She shrugged, turned away to talk to Fishlegs, a big grin on her flushed cheeks.

Hiccup grinned and walked through the village being followed by Toothless until they spotted a beautiful blonde woman. Astrid looked like a Valkyrie that had just came from Valhalla with a white fur cloak over her shoulders, ordering people around. Hiccup's heart was a mix of joy and sorrow with the sight. Joy to be able to see the girl who he loved, and sorrow for being reminded that she was doing his father's job because he was no longer in this realm.

Toothless warbled and ran to her, being welcome with smiles and a soft scratch under his chin the way he liked it. After a moment, she looked up to the Night Fury rider.

"Hey, Hiccup. How are you?"

His smile didn't reach his eyes. "I'm fine."

She reached for his hand. "I know it's been hard for you… I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I know it's also been hard for you with all the new responsibility and hard for the village, too."

"It is, a little." She nodded. "I bet it's been like that for the Defenders as well."

"True, but we'll manage." His hand moved to hold hers better.

"So… What brings you to Berk?"

"Heather and I came to see the dragons integration."

"Good, we need help. Lots of it! Many don't like the dragons and still complain, while others want to so they won't have to worry about getting attacked and just a minority are like Snot and Gustav who wants dragon to have fun…" She rolled her eyes. "Not to mention the twins that want to blow everything on sight. But what everyone has in common is how are we going to deal with them. Oh, and I want those fire-prevention system I saw on the Defenders island right here, too."

"Yeah, about that, I had an idea…"

"You're going to give Gobber some projects for the system?"

"Well, that, too, but that's not what I was going for…" He cleared his throat, getting redder. "Astrid, I was wondering, since the Defenders have divided their allegiance, most are following Throk in their old ways, but some want to follow me in the dragon way, therefore we can't really stay on the same island, so, since you want to follow on this path too, I thought… well, we thought that we could start living here if you'll have me- US. If you'll have us." He gulped. "So, what do you say?"

Astrid wondered on it. "Well, you do realize that I am the chief of Berk, right?"

"Apart from anything dragon-related, sure. Dad chose you and I do think you're the best leader for Berk."

"Well, then, what are you waiting for? Stoick would have wanted you and your sister to come live here. It'd be disrespectful if I didn't comply to this idea."

His smile fell. "Wait, so you're only accepting us because of my dad?"

She chuckled. "No. I need to keep you close to me, how else can I keep an eye on you so you won't get killed?"

"Ha, very funny. You do realize I have an overprotective fire-breathing lizard as a bodyguard, don't you? The offspring of lightening and death itself."

"Look, how cute! Your bodyguard is playing with a butterfly!" She pointed at Toothless, who was indeed hunting a blue butterfly. Hiccup laughed.

"He can sense it when I'm in danger." He waved dismissingly. "So… Are these the only reasons you'd want me around?"

"No, I can think of some other reasons…" She smiled, stepping closer.

"Really?" His voice was full of hope leaning closer.

"Yeah… You can totally be in charge of dragons so people won't complain to me about them. That'd be nice." Astrid laughed, stepping back a little and leaving Hiccup with a raised eyebrow.

"Again, very funny… Come here, you." He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her closer to kiss her.

"Wow. I guess I just found another good reason."

"Finally!" He looked up, silently thanking the Gods and Goddesses. Then he looked deeply into her eyes. "You know, I think we're at our best when we're together."

She bit her lower lip. Both chuckled and stayed in the other's embrace, foreheads touching. The light and funny atmosphere slowly died, getting replaced by a more serious vibe. After all the events of weeks ago, it was hard to joke around, but they'd both go insane if they didn't do it.

"You know… I've missed you, Hiccup."

"Sorry. We wanted to come earlier, but we had so many things to do. Find a new home for the dragons, relocate, and help the people who have lost their family members… It was overwhelming."

"I know, but I didn't mean only now. I meant earlier. Back when I thought you were dead and back when I thought your name was Nuffink. Though I hadn't really realized it then."

"You didn't miss me when you thought I was dead. You wouldn't come near me if you were on fire and I have the last bucket of water in town."

"That's not true. I never hated you to begin with. I just kept my distance; it's all. I guess I thought I missed you out of pity because of Stoick, but I did miss you, at least a little. For instance, I'd often imagine what would be the next Hiccup-y invention you'd come up with or imagine a witty comeback you'd tell someone or the next joke you'd whisper to yourself thinking no one would hear. I missed those silly things. And then I missed them again after my short stay with the Defenders."

"I missed you too. I'd think of you pretty much everyday since I left Berk six years ago. I've always admired you."

"Good thing we won't miss each other now that we're gonna live on the same island again."

"Indeed you're right, Milady." He kissed her again.

"Now, you have work to do. You gotta show the people of Berk why you're coming here and it's not only to kiss their chieftess."

"Yes, Milady."

"We can meet later at my house."

"The chief house?"

"No, I wasn't comfortable getting the Haddock household. I'm not a Haddock."

"Not yet…" He said, suggestively.

She tried to hide a smile. "Anyway, I though about living it for you, Heather and Valka. I didn't think you'd want to come live here, but you guys could use it if you ever come visit. I'm planning on building another house nearby, but didn't have time to think of it, yet, so I'm still at my parents."

"Alright, then." He kissed her hand. "I'll see you at sundown there."

She smiled and nodded. He walked away with Toothless following him close as they strolled down the village to help the citizens with their new winged friends. Astrid sighed, wondering if they could, together, build a better future than Stoick had envisioned for the tribe.

A future her old chief had never imagined it was possible, featuring dragons and the family he thought he'd lost and didn't even know he had to lead the next generations to a new path. And even though they'd need to keep fighting to save the dragons from the hunters that were still out there, she was sure they could overcome all the obstacles if they were together.

* * *

**And that's it everyone! This is the end! **

**I originally thought on having Hiccup assuming Berk's leadership, but as I neared the end, I wanted to make it a bit different. Astrid deserved the role and she got it, so I didn't want to take it away from her. And although they're basically going to rule together, it's quite clear that she is the official ruler of Berk. **

**I know probably some people will ask if there's gonna be a sequel, and if you're one of them, read until the end. If not, please just tell me what you think of this story; it'll make my day! **

**About the sequel: I'm almost certain I won't make one, sorry. However, I do have some ideas, but I don't think people liked this story enough to be worth a sequel, after all, it had less reviews per chapter comparing to my other fics. But I do have some ideas and if I like it that much, there's a SLIM possibility that I'll write it down. Besides, the name of this possible sequence would probably be "Shadow and Sapphire", because I'd want to shift the focus more to Hiccup and Astrid and that's how she (wearing blue armor) would be known by the hunters. **

**The ideas are quite nice, too, I'd like to explore more the feelings between Hiccup and Astrid (maybe even fight over misunderstandings on leadership), show Heather and Fishlegs getting together, how Valka is holding on after loosing the man of her life and her best friend Mala and the fight with the hunters would get more complicated and intriguing. **

**And I didn't reveal the boss of the hunters for a reason, first I though on putting Drago, especially because Grimmel is (for me) a stronger enemy and I wanted to put him as the main villain. However, if I wanted to make more conflicts against the hunters, there's another more obvious choice of a villain… However, as I said, it's not very likely I'll do it, so don't get your hopes up. **

**Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the reading, it was really fun for me to write this story and I think I manage to practice some writing skills I'll use on my next WIPs!**

**If you liked this, please check out my other stories and if you could check out my original stuff I have on Wattpad and Amazon, I'll be very grateful for your support (links on profile)! I have some original short stories already published and others are on the way, I also have a book that's being translated to English and will soon be published on Amazon. **


End file.
